Stay There
by xxaachanxx
Summary: On the last day of school, Mokuba is saved from a car accident by a mysterious girl. But... she can't see? The story of the impression a girl can make on the lives of Seto and Mokuba. OC. My summary sucks... no vampires!
1. First Meeting

Seto's POV

"Mokuba, can you bring up the security cameras again? I'd like to know if everything is going smoothly at the park." I said to my little brother.

"Ok, Seto." He pulled up 10 of the most used cameras of the 136 cameras at KiabaLand Amusement Park. Damn I love that kid.

"Thanks, Mokuba" I said as he smiled at me. I was watching the milling crowds having fun when suddenly a commotion erupted in one of the cameras.

"What the heck? Mokuba, do you see that?" I asked.

"I'm pulling it up, big brother." A group of dirty and tough looking teenagers grouped around in a ring. I saw a small figure crouched in the middle, huddled over something.

"Mokuba, go to aerial view." The screen switched to a birds-eye view of what was going on. The huddled figure on the ground looked up. At first, I could not tell if the figure was a girl or boy because I was drawn in by the most intense pairs of eyes I have ever seen. I couldn't tell what color they were because the security cameras were black and white but from here, I could still see the crackling and snapping of thinly veiled intelligence behind those eyes. As I got over my shock, I noticed the face that held those eyes, pale and stunning with long black hair. A girl. As if she knew we were watching her, she held up the object she was trying to protect from the howling teenagers around her.

"Sakura! Seto, they're trying to kill Sakura!" Mokuba screamed. The teenagers were trying to get the kitten out of the girl's hands, kicking the girl's ribs and legs.

"Security to Sector A-13. A girl and a kitten are being harassed. Move NOW!" I called into my mike. On the screen, I watched as several of my security guards pulled the teenagers away, leaving the girl to stand up. "Let's go get Sakura," I said to Mokuba, standing up from my seat. Mokuba grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the door to the place where the girl was standing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved her!" Mokuba screamed when he reached the girl scooping up the kitten from her arms. I stood back, crossed my arms, and leaned against a wall. The girl said something quietly and patted Mokuba on the head, smiling. Her eyes were black with gold flecks and she had black hair that reached up to the waist of her slight figure. She probably came up to around my neck. I was observing her when she suddenly looked at me and said something to Mokuba. He looked confused and then happy.

"Bye, Yani," he called and turned back to run to me. He grabbed my hand and laughed with relief.

"Yani said Sakura doesn't have anything broken but she's just a little bit scared. She also said we should give her a warm saucer of milk and then put her to bed," Mokuba rushed out on one breath. But then he frowned slightly, "Oh… and she said for me to tell you something. She said it was useless to try to search her on the internet because you would never find her." I froze and looked up to where the girl was standing. Or rather, where she HAD been standing. She was gone. How had she known I was going to search her up? Well… I was an older brother. Maybe she assumed me to be overprotective. Oh well, I would never know. But I planned to search her up anyway. She didn't know what my computers were like.

"Mokuba, did she look hurt?" I asked my brother. He turned bright red and stammered, "Well, I-I guess I didn't really check because I… I was too focused on Sakura." He looked sheepishly up at me and said, "Maybe she was hurt…"

"It's ok, Mokuba. If she ran off like that, she probably isn't hurt that bad." As we walked back to the control room, I couldn't get those eyes out of my mind. Yani, huh…


	2. Punishment

Yani's POV

"Crap," I muttered, as I stumbled to the front of my house. Those teenagers had really taken a toll on me. "Stupid mortals" I curse under my breath. I tried to sneak in quietly into my house but I was stopped by a sharp slap to the face. Ouch. I looked up and I saw my mother and my father standing there, looking very, very angry.

"Where the hell were you, bitch?" I ducked my head.

"I'm sorry father, mother."

"I'm sorry father, mother," my father mimicked in a high voice. "Don't give me that crap," he said and slapped me again. I looked up into his eyes and he stepped back. I knew he was afraid of me but that was also the reason he hated me. Why did I have to be sent here as punishment…

"Go to your room. And don't come out. No dinner and no breakfast." I bowed quickly and limped up the stairs.

"You got into a fight? You whore! Only street beggars do that!" I kept walking up the stairs.

"I'm sorry father." I said before walking up into my room and gently closing the door. At least I saved that kitten for Mokuba. I smiled at the memory of him. Such a gentle soul. He and his brother. I could tell that Kiaba really cared for this brother. I hope nothing happened to both of them.

I sat on my bed and thought of what to do next. Maybe if I tried to heal myself this time, it would work. I took a knife from my drawer and gently cut my wrist. I sucked the blood until the flow ceased. Putting my hands on one of my bruised ribs, I tried to heal myself. A blue glow started around my hands but flickered out quickly. I sighed and put my hands down. This was another one of my punishments, the inability to heal myself. I must suffer. I curled up on the bed. Oh well, it worked last time. I guess the gods want me to suffer this time


	3. Second Meeting

Seto's POV

I waited in the limo as Mokuba said bye to all his friends. It was the last day of school for both him and me but I was most certainly not in a good mood. I had tried to look up Yani on my computer and search her background but nothing showed up. I mean NOTHING. Not even a facebook page. I was actually directed to a "no results found" page. This girl was good. Mokuba started to cross the street to the limo as I watched him absentmindedly. I saw it before he did. There was a truck coming towards him, the driver drunk as hell. My eyes opened wide as a started to get out of the limo.

"Mokuba, watch out!" my cries joined the cries of many as they motioned to the coming truck. Mokuba looked and froze. The truck was almost on top of him when a blur knocked him out of the way. I heard a sharp crack as the very left of the truck crashed into the leg of whatever saved Mokuba and roared on, oblivious to the commotion it had caused. Mokuba tumbled to my feet in the arms of a girl protecting him. Oh shit, it was Yani. She couldn't be found on the internet. She had no facebook page. No last name. She definitely did not want to be found. So, I did what anybody would do, I pulled her and Mokuba into the limo and ordered the driver to step on it. When the driver got the car moving I noticed Mokuba was sitting up and looking at Yani who clutched her leg.

"Yani! Are you ok?" Mokuba said, frightened. Yani however was pulling him closer and examining him. "Mild cuts and bruises, no fractures or breaks. Heart beat slightly accelerated. Blood pressure fine. No sign of shock. Barely traumatized. No internal bleeding," she murmured while patting Mokuba. "You're fine, but put some Neosporin on those cuts when you go home." My mouth dropped when she said this. First of all, the sound of her voice was absolutely intoxicating. Secondly, how did she know all that from just looking at him? Mokuba shook his head impatiently.

"But are you ok, Yani?"

"Hmmm? Me?" Yani looked at her leg and winced. "Yup, fine," she said cheerfully. Despite the gravity of the situation, I laughed and tried to cover it as a cough.

"You're leg is probably broken and you say your fine," I said to her, "Wow, iron will." She looked at me and raised her eyebrows. "We have to bring you to a hospital," I said. Suddenly, her whole demeanor changed. She paled and started to shake.

"N-no that's ok," she stammered, "I can take care of myself."

"But Yani, you broke your leg!" Mokuba protested, "at least let us bring you to a hospital."

"No, don't. I'm supposed to suffer. I like pain. Don't bring me to the hospital." I stared at her and then sighed.

"Bring us home" I said the driver. "We have a personal doctor, would you like that better?" I asked Yani. She looked at me and I noticed with a start that her eyes weren't black with golden dust in them. They were hazel. Suddenly they turned grey.

"Do you have a knife?" she asked quietly. I handed her a pocket knife, confused. Suddenly, she slit her wrist and started to suck the blood that came out. Gold blood. What the hell? Mokuba and I watched in shock as she sucked until the blood flow ceased. That's when I noticed the cuts all over her arms. She put both hands on her leg and breathed out slowly. A blue glow started and then expanded over her hands and leg. After thirty seconds, it faded away and she stretched her leg tentatively.

"There, it's fixed," she said quietly. My cerulean eyes met her grey ones, which begged not to question and not to tell.

"Why don't you come to our house anyway? We'll get you something to eat." I murmured, looking away.

"Yea!" Mokuba piped up, "Then you can play with me."

"Ok" she replied, sounding relieved. I always knew Mokuba was smart. He had the sense not to talk about what happened. What a brilliant child, just like me. I settled in my seat and watched her as she and Mokuba laughed and told jokes to each other.


	4. The Doctor

Seto's POV

When Mokuba and Yani were chasing each other in the backyard, I called Dr. Fujji.

"Can you come here?" I asked when he picked up the phone.

"What happened, Seto?" he asked. I explained to him the details of the crashed and Yani's healing herself.

"I'll be right there" he said, and hung up. Just as I was about to call the two in, my cellphone rang.

"Hello?" I answered and then cursed when I found out I had an emergency meeting today. How was I supposed to get a babysitter for Mokuba at such short notice? I was thinking about what to do when the doctor arrived.

"Yani?" I called, "Can you come here for a second?" Yani stopped wrestling with Mokuba and ran to the doorway.

"Yea?" she asked and then paled as I told her the doctor was here.

"But I'm fine!" she argued but stopped when the doctor put a hand on her head.

"Don't be scared, child," he said kindly and took her hand. "Come." I followed them into the dining room and the doctor started to check her leg and her head for any signs of injury. She swung her legs and laughed when the doctor poked her ribs.

"You seem fine," the doctor said. He turned to me. "Seto, I need you to turn around for a minute." I turned and he lifted Yani's shirt to check her back and heartbeat. "Ok, you can turn around again" he said to me. "Well, Yani. You seem fine and I can't find any recent injuries. Those scars on your wrist worry me-" Yani paled. "but I won't ask anything!" the doctor said hastily. "Sleep at this house tonight so I can check on you tomorrow." Yani swung her legs uncomfortably. "Is that all?" she asked. "Yes," the doctor answered, "You can go play with Mokuba now." She jumped off the table and ran out of the room. Seto heard Mokuba's delighted cry as his newfound friend ambushed him from the back.

"Seto," the doctor said seriously, "that girl is definitely abused by somebody. I winced and that word and turned to him. "I know" I said quietly, "she's just like me when I was abused." The doctor looked sympathetically at me and then continued: "Call her parents and make sure she can stay at your house tonight. And take care of her!" With that, the kind doctor left and drove away.


	5. Intervention

Yani's POV

Seto called me again.

"Don't worry Mokuba, I'll be right back," I laughed as Mokuba pouted.

"Fine," he said and I sprinted towards the mansion again.

"Can you call your parents to see if you can stay at my house tonight?" Seto asked, handing me the phone. I took the phone gingerly, dreading the coming call. His cerulean eyes focused on me and I was sure he could feel my fear. He didn't say anything though. Strange mortal.

"Hello?" my mother's voice answered, sounding very pretty and kind.

"It's Yani," I said quietly. I looked up and I saw Seto with the other landline phone in his hands, listening.

"Oh, it's you," my mother's voice suddenly seemed to sneer. "What do you want?"

"Can I stay over at someone's house today?" I asked, casting my eyes to the floor. There was a deathly silence when I heard the receiver being given to my father.

"You fucking whore! You're sleeping with some white trash aren't you!" I winced at the raw words.

"No father. I'm just staying over."

"Liar! You think I'm stupid? You little bitch! Ok then, for what reason are you staying over, you bastard?"

"She's babysitting my younger brother for me," a cool voice cut in. I looked up and I saw Kaiba looking at me.

"Who is this?" my father snapped.

"Seto Kaiba," Kaiba replied, frigidly. There was silence at the other end of the line.

"Well then Mr. Kaiba," my father said sweetly, "tell that slut of a daughter of mine that she bagged a good one this time and that she can stay there as long as she wants. Oh yes, and tell her if she ever shows her face on my doorstep again, I'm calling the cops. She is kicked out of my house."

"Then she can stay at my house," Kiaba shot back, "Goodbye and have a nice day." The phone clicked as the call ended. I stared at the ground, thinking of how long I could stay away from my parents before they forced me to come back to them. Suddenly, a gentle hand took the receiver out of my hand. I looked up and I saw Seto turning away to put the phones back into the receiver.

"Mokuba isn't allowed to watch TV until all his homework for summer school is done. The emergency phone numbers are on the fridge. If you can cook, ingredients are in the fridge but Mokuba is also used to take out because we don't have a cook. I have an emergency meeting so I won't be back until late. Make sure he doesn't stay up for me, because he usually does that when he can. Also he's allergic to- " Kaiba turned when I pulled on his sleeve.

"You didn't have to do that for me" I said quietly and dropped my hand, looking at the ground.

"I didn't have to," he agreed after a bit, "but I did because I was abused, too." I looked up at him. "I know what it feels like to dread taking to your parents, or parent in my case. Can you cook?" he asked randomly.

"Ummmm… yes?" I asked, slightly confused at the change of direction of the conversation.

"You could cook for us then," he said, "so work for your stay. And you can babysit Mokuba while I'm gone, ok?" I nodded, too stunned at my good luck to form complete sentences.


	6. Blind Spot

Seto's POV

She smiled at me and I half smiled back. Wait, what the hell? I don't smile at anyone but my brother! I turned around as the smile slipped off my face. I called in Mokuba and after explaining the situation, he tackled me in a hug.

"NOW I HAVE SOMEONE TO PLAY WITH!" he screamed and ran to Yani, pulling her outside. I laughed and quietly left the house for the meeting.

During the meeting, I had to listen to a group of idiots trying to put me down because I was the youngest one there. It's not like I'm stupid! Ughh… annoying, self satisfied pricks.

"Mr. Kaiba, you should not be making such rash suggestions seeing that you have been in the business industry for ahhh… a short amount of time," one fat idiot had said. Of course, I had shot back that my company was more successful than anybody's at the meeting. I think that made me a lot more enemies. Again. So as I stepped into the house, I was definitely not in a good mood. And I was starving. I checked the dining room if anything was left for me to eat. The table was cleared and clean, not a crumb in sight. I sighed and made a mental note to tell Yani to always save me something. When I opened the refrigerator, my eyes widened because I saw a covered plate and a camera. I took out both and played the only item on the camera, a movie.

"Hey, Seto!" Mokuba called into the camera. I smiled immediately. My brother has that kind of effect on me.

"Eat what Yani made! It tastes sooooo good! When I took my first bite, I was like ZOMG! Seriously!"

"Mokuba," Yani said as Mokuba turned around and grinned.

"It's true Yani! I'm glad you're here." Yani came into the screen and smiled.

"Time for bed," she said, and picked him up. As she reached to turn off the camera, I stopped the video. She looked happy in the frame and her eyes were black with gold dots again.

"That's what you should look like, Yani," I murmured to myself. "Happy." Then I shook my head and sighed. I guess I was more tired than normal.

I was just about to uncover the dish when a voice startled me.

"Make sure to microwave it." I turned around and saw Yani sitting on the top step of the stairs. She was in white shorts and a cerulean tank top.

"Meeting okay?" she asked, putting her head on her knees.

"People don't take me seriously," I muttered, popping the dish into the microwave. I heard a light laugh behind me and smiled. I took out the dish and tore off the cover. My eyes widened as a realized it was spaghetti, my favorite dish.

"How did you know—" I turned and stopped when I realized Yani wasn't there.

After the mind numbing, delicious meal, I went upstairs to see if Mokuba was sleeping. When I entered his room, I immediately heard snoring and knew my little brother was in bed. After kissing him on the forehead, I retreated and paused in front of the room I had given to Yani. Gently turning the handle, I walked into the silent room and closed the door softly behind me. She sat by the window, framed by the silver moonlight pouring in from outside.

"When did Mokuba go to sleep?" I asked.

"Ten o' clock." She didn't turn to me. I checked the digital clock and found out it was 3 in the morning.

"You should go to sleep. It's really late."

"What time is it?" she responded.

"The clocks right there," I said, pointing in front of her, puzzled. She didn't respond. Okay, something definitely wasn't right here.

"Yani, what time is it…" I asked again. This time she turned around and stared at me with ice blue eyes. I froze in shock. Was she… no… then how did she not bump into things? Taking long steps, I was over by her in a minute. But when she flinched and whimpered, I slowed my movements.

"Shhh… I'm not going to hurt you," I said and held up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding?"

"Two," she replied and looked down. I held up my watch to her eyes.

"Yani, what time is it," I asked quietly. She bit her lip and looked at the watch.

"Two…?" she responded hopefully, looking up.

"Yani, it's 3:45 in the morning." I watched for her reaction. I could feel her slowly withdraw into herself. And her eyes went from ice blue to black. Not the regular black eyes she had but a lightless, tired black. The black eyes you see in half dead soldiers and malnourished orphans on the street. Slowly, so that she wouldn't be frightened, I stood behind her and covered her eyes with my hand. She jerked when I touched her but didn't make a sound.

"How many fingers?" I quietly asked Yani, leaning over her and holding up four.

"Four," she said and was silent. I gently removed my hands from her face and turned. Right before I left, I heard a whispered 'thank you' float across the room.

"Your welcome," I said and walked out.


	7. So Dead

Yani's POV

I didn't remember when I went to sleep but when I woke up, it felt like I hadn't slept at all. Oh well, I've had that feeling plenty of times before. I got up when the sun got up and quietly crept to the kitchen so that the other two wouldn't wake up. I started to make a breakfast of chocolate chip waffles and some coffee for Kaiba. Something tackled me from behind and I turned to find Mokuba sleepily clinging to my waist.

"Waffles," he smiled and turned to take out a knife and fork.

"Is your brother still asleep?" I asked when I handed him a plate with two waffles and a pitcher of cold maple syrup.

"Yup, he doesn't have summer school so he sleeps in late when he has meetings." Mokuba started to inhale the waffles. "Mmmmmmm… soooo gooood!"

"Do you want me to take you to school?" Mokuba looked up.

"Sure! Do you go to summer school, too?" he said, his eyes lighting up.

"Yea, I just finished sophomore year," I replied. After Mokuba finished, I taped a note to Seto's door that Mokuba and I were going to school and that waffles were in the fridge.

"Come on Mokuba! Let's bounce!"

School was boring, as always. By the time I walked out of the building, I had filled half my notebook with sketches. I tried to feel Mokuba's footsteps and found him by the stairs surrounded by a group of people. Uh-oh, not good. I dodged and darted to where Mokuba was standing.

"You punk! You think you're so smart!" I heard a slap. Oh that kid is so dead. I know my eyes were crimson but I didn't care. I didn't even feel Kaiba behind me. I just clawed my way into the middle of the group and took covered Mokuba's body with my own. When I could feel that he was safe beneath me, I swiftly kicked a semi circle in front of me. There were a dozen 'ouches' as those stupid teenagers fell in front of me. Damn I hated teenage mortals! In the next instant, everything became precise and clear. I could feel the pathway of the punches being thrown at me and the kicks that were coming. Two knives materialized in my hands. That's when I realized I was in my angel state. These kids were going to pay for hurting Mokuba…


	8. Angel Wings

Seto's POV

When I woke up, I felt well rested. I didn't have any nightmares about my father or the orphanage this time so I was… well… happy, I guess. I just laid on the bed for awhile, trying to figure out what time it was. Suddenly, I remembered what had happened yesterday with Yani. I frowned and went to take a shower, resolved to talk to Yani later. On the way to the shower, I noticed a note that was taped to my door.

"Mokuba and I are going to summer school," it started. "It seems like you're never gonna wake up. But when you do, waffles are in the fridge. Remember to microwave them. Use cold maple syrup! It tastes better, trust me." I smiled at this and continued to read. "I'm going to summer school because I failed computer class, in case you need to know. I'll pick up Mokuba and walk home. If you want, you can pick us both up. Don't bring the limo. Walk. It's good for you. : ) bye."

She failed computer class? With a start, I realized that yesterday she couldn't see the digital clock and the digital wristwatch. Then… could she just not read digital things. Colorblindness? No… she would still see in shades of grey… And how did she see my hand when I covered her eyes. I shook my head. It was all so confusing. I guess I would just have to walk to summer school and find out.

I sighed and continued on to take my shower. After swallowing my waffles in a way that would have been considered bad table manners in a restaurant, I put on my regular outfit and wore my billowing silver coat. After strapping the belts to my arms, I walked out the front door of my mansion.

"Are you going somewhere, sir?" my driver asked.

"Yes, but I'm not taking the limo," I responded. In an undertone, I added, "Apparently I'm walking." But I have to admit, it did feel good walking to the school. It wasn't that far away, only about six blocks and it was wonderful weather. As the wind ruffled my hair, a few people pointed excitedly to me and started to whisper. I ignored them and kept walking closer to the school. This is why I liked to take the limo.

I was content walking until I reached the school and saw a group of kids around… Yani? That's when everything started not to make sense. Yani was slashing left and right with what looked like knives. She only slashed with one though, her right one. The right knife was silver and the left knife was gold. Strange. Before I could move towards her to stop her, I saw the teenagers she had slashed with her knife. Instead of ripping through the skin and making blood fly, the knife just sunk into the skin, as if it were intangible. The teenagers who got hit flew backwards and proceeded to rock back and forth with the most terrified expressions on their faces. I stood there, shocked, as Yani finished up the rest of the group.

"Yani?" I said, staring at her. She spun around and faced me with the two knives prepared to fight. That's when I truly saw her figure. Her eyes were crimson and made me think that if bloodlust had a color, that would be the color. Her clothes had changed color and were white, almost as if all the color had been drained out of them. But the most awe-inspiring part of her was behind her. Angel wings. Almost as tall as she, the wings looked as if they were made of fragile glass, so thin and almost transparent. Underneath her, Mokuba looked up at her and smiled. He gently touched the wings and laughed when he found out they were actually there. As the red faded out of her eyes to be replaced by black and gold, Yani turned to Mokuba and picked him up. Murmuring something in his ear, she set him down again and turned. In that instant, I heard the crack of something that sounded like glass breaking. Her wings were gone. So was she.

"Mokuba… what happened?" I asked my little brother when he walked to me.

"I was being beat up by those kids and Yani rescued me," he stated simply and paused before continuing, "Yani said she'll explain everything to you when she gets home." I looked at him intently.

"Do you know what's going on?" I asked him quietly.

"Kinda… I can't express it in words but I know. Yani said only children can fully understand." I looked to where Yani had disappeared. Suddenly, I had an overpowering desire to see Yani…


	9. Confontation

Yani's POV

I managed to get into the mansion without setting off any alarms. Weird how I did that… After entering the front door, I entered the living room and froze. It was pitch dark but I could hear a breath. And another one… And another one… Shit. Then I felt something grab my wrist. I didn't scream but I can't say that I didn't make a noise either. I… whimpered… Ugh, of all the sounds in the world, why that sound? It turns out I was nearer to the couch than I felt because Kaiba sat there, rubbing his eyes and holding my wrist with the other hand. He quickly let go of my wrist.

"Sorry for scaring you," he said, yawning.

"No problem. I'm absolutely dandy." I managed to say around the taste of fear in my mouth. He stared at me for a second before continuing.

"Talk," he said, covering another yawn.

"Wow, you look really tired. Why don't we continue this conversation later? Like tomorrow morning?" I replied hastily. He shook his head.

"Not a chance. Don't think I waited up for you and disabled all the alarms for nothing. You owe me an explanation." Well… he was waiting.

"I… I can't tell you everything," I started and hesitated as he raised his eyebrows. "I am… punished. For helping a mortal. I was not in love with him. I helped him because he… he was… kind underneath but didn't show it. He begged me for a bride. I led a girl to him and made her fall in love with him. But… they both… died. So I was sent as… a… a… freak. To the mortal world. To be punished. To be abused and beaten. Misunderstood. Treated as an anomaly. Bad parents and bad people around me. I am not allowed to retaliate. Only for the sake of others must I sacrifice myself—"

"You cut yourself to heal others," Kaiba blurted out. I scowled. "Is that your punishment, too?"

"I do not cut myself!" I said angrily, stomping my feet. "That's a horrible way to put it!" Kaiba rubbed his temples.

"I have a thousand questions in my head but I'm going to ask one." He put his face into his hands. When is voice next rang out, it was muffled.

"Who are you?"

"I won't tell you," I answered, looking at him evenly. The next thing I knew, he was standing, towering at least a head and shoulders above me.


	10. Information

Seto's POV

She whimpered again when I stood up. I felt cruel for scaring her but if what I knew was right, she would be forgetting about that in a couple of minutes.

She was just so… small. And fragile. For a moment, the clouds broke and the full moon shone on her porcelain skin. She shifted towards the moonlight streaming in and even risked a quick glance. This just confirmed my suspicions even more.

Slowly, as not to scare her, I took my hand and placed it on her head. This was quite an easy feat because she came up to the hollow of my throat. If the situation had not been quite as fragile, I would have laughed. Her eyes shone hazel, which was her way of expressing confusion. Her facial expression was torn between really enjoying this and biting my hand off. But when I started to gently stroke her hair, more and more of her face relaxed into the former expression. Her eyes slid into black with golden dots, which was happiness, if I took it correctly.

"Your eyes change color with your emotions." Her eyes immediately changed back to hazel. I started to run my fingers through her hair to keep her distracted. Obviously, it worked because her eyes started to turn to its previous color again. "You're a wolf. You love the moon like one. You get scared like one. You move like one." Her locks were absolutely art in itself, tumbling black and shining in the intermittent moonlight. If I could feel clouds, they'd feel like her hair. Light, smooth, airy. Like the moonlight itself.

She started to lean into me, as if she was scared to close the distance but longing to do it anyway. I let her come closer to me, just a slight step in my direction. What I really wanted to do was to pull her closer, to hug her until she hugged me back. To inhale her until she became a part of me. To stroke her until she never flinched. Instead, as she was starting another step towards me, she collapsed.

"Yani? Are you ok?" I said, alarmed, kneeling down next to her.

"I… am… punished…" she said through clenched teeth and then whimpered as another wave of pain seemed to attack every single cell in her body. I moved to hold her against my body to carry her upstairs but at that instant, she bolted. I could almost see the theoretical tail tucked in between her head as she flashed up the stairs and into her room. I sat down, hard, and sighed with my face in my hands. To think I would have to go to an early meeting tomorrow. Man, life sucked.


	11. Interruption at School

Yani's POV

I definitely remember when I slept yesterday because… well… I didn't sleep. At around five in the morning, before the sun rose, I heard Kaiba leave the house for his meeting. His steps didn't have the usual brisk step to it. They dragged, probably wearing away his Gucci shoes. A half an hour ago, I had heard him starting to make coffee. Great, now it was my fault he was fueling his caffeine addiction this early in the morning.

After waiting for the sun to rise, I sighed and got out of bed, determined to make breakfast from scratch for Mokuba today. I baked some bread but then found out that was as far as the expression "from scratch" in this world would go. So I just topped it with strawberry jam and set it on a plate just as Mokuba sat down, scratching his head.

"Good mor-" He yawned. "-ning, Yani." In seconds, he had stuffed his face with fresh bread and jam.

"Good morning, Mokuba," I replied, ruffling his hair. After he had finished and went to change, I thought about the possibility of changing into my school uniform for summer school. I, like I did every morning, decided against it. Those uniforms are devil reincarnate. The top is tight and blue (or so I've been told); I wouldn't mind that but the miniskirt is halfway up my thigh! It's like they're training us to be prostitutes BEFORE the age of 16. So, I decided to wear baggy jeans, long sleeved under armor (Mokuba had taken me shopping and virtually PICKED out my clothes), and a loose jacket (I don't sweat in summer, nor do I get hot. Gods, two; humans, zero.) The worst part of every single day was that I couldn't see the colors of the clothes I wore. And of course, I was ready for another day of school with yesterday's incident fresh in my head. Typical.

As soon as I saw Mokuba enter his classroom, I ran to my own class and slid into the seat just as the bell rang. You know the notebook I half-filled with sketches? Yea, I filled the whole thing with my doodles, pencil art, and an occasional ink or color pencil piece. I was halfway into the middle of my fourth class and in the middle of a drawing when I heard whispers start excitedly near the door. Of course, I didn't look up. One of the school jocks had probably walked in or something like that. When I found out they had an aversion to freaks like me, I was more than happy. More like relieved. So when the word 'Seto Kiaba' reached my ears, I bolted up and faced the door.

At that moment, I imagined what I looked like to Kaiba. I bet a pale girl with aviators and a thin metal cane that screamed 'BLIND PERSON!' was what he saw. Even more, I bet I was the only person who didn't have the school uniform on. AND I was the only one without a tanktop in this weather. Shit. I knew I should have left the aviators at home today.

"Yani?" Mrs. I-Couldn't-Care-Less-What-Her-Name-Was called, sounding flustered.

"Yo," I responded, pleased when I felt her flinch at the informality. Even though the floors were carpet, the farthest thing from nature possible, I could still feel that vague outline of a smirk on Kaiba's face.

"Mr. Kaiba would like to take you out of class now," she managed to say. I banged my head on the desk and stayed there. The whispers of "SETO'S SO HOT!" and "She's acting so hard-to-get. If Seto came for me, I would be out of my seat in a heartbeat!" increased as he walked over to me. Suddenly, anger surged in me.

"STOP CALLING HIM, SETO!" I yelled to an immediately silent crowd. "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM! YOU PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR HUMAN BEINGS DON'T DESERVE TO CALL HIM BY HIS NAME! YOU GUYS ARE TRIPPING OVER YOUR TONGUES, DROOLING OVER A GUY WHO YOU WANT FOR MONEY! AND HE'S NOT FREAKING HOT! IF I COULD FREAKING SEE HIS FACE, IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE AS FREAKING SEXY AS ALL YOU SLUTS THINK IT IS! HOLY. CRAP." Then I banged my head down on the desk and stayed like that for a full thirty seconds in utter silence.

"Slut!" one of the jocks called and the room erupted in hoots and boos and jeers. I didn't care anymore. I just wanted Hades to take my soul already. I was allowed to wallow in self misery for another thirty seconds before HE started to laugh. As he picked up my notebook and pencil case, I thought he was going to drop them because he was laughing so hard. I had never heard him laugh like that, ever. The whole room started to quiet down because of his laughter.

"Come… On… Yani…!" Kaiba choked out before bursting out in laughter again. "Let's… Go… Home…!"

"Can you… uh… help her up Mr. Kaiba?" the teacher said, unsure what to make of it all. "She's blind." I think her last statement jarred Kaiba out of his laughter because he started to slowly quiet down.

"I can do it myself!" I almost shouted and got up. Putting my cane to the ground, I made it up to about half the row before I met with the first jock's leg. They somehow thought that I would trip over it and fall flat on my face, making a fool out of myself. When I was just about to hit the leg with my cane, a hand closed over my left hand.

"Oh Mr. Kaiba, you didn't have to escort me like that!" I said, my voice dripping venom as he guided me the front of the room.

"It's no bother Ms. Yani, as it surely was a pleasure," he replied with a serious face. This time, it was my turn to laugh as we walked out the door, my back the target of hundreds of jealous gazes.


	12. The Notebook

Seto's POV

As soon as we stepped outside the classroom and closed the door, she dropped my hand, tossed her cane down the hallway, slid her sunglasses to the top of her head, and scowled at me. But before she could do or say anything, I turned and started to walk the other way, with her notebook in my hand. Suddenly, I felt a hand trying to tug the notebook out of my grasp. I didn't let go and kept walking down the hallway to Mokuba's classroom. The hand became more insisting and frantic, demanding that I let go of the notebook. This time, I pulled the notebook in front of me, so that Yani couldn't get it.

"Don't open it!" I heard Yani whisper fiercely just as I opened it to stare at the first page. It was an unlined notebook, and the first page was filled with neat math notes, written in a straight line across the page.

"Why?" I asked and turned to the next page. I would like to have said that I kept my composure and continued to walk as if what I saw on the page was no big deal. But in reality, I halted in my tracks, felt my mouth drop, and just stared at the page. I think it was safe to say that in all my years of visiting art museums, I had never seen a picture as perfect as this rough sketch on second hand notebook paper.

It was Mokuba, drawn in long, rough, penciled lines. In the picture, Mokuba was looking into the card necklace that held a picture of me. Although the onlooker could not see what was in the card necklace, the love and adoration that Mokuba felt for whoever was in the card necklace was apparent. His eyes shone adoringly and the smile that was barely stenciled in on the page conveyed extreme gentleness. Somehow, the picture showed how his hands tenderly cradled the necklace.

My heart started beating again and but unfortunately, I still couldn't speak. I wanted to tell her how amazing the picture was, to know if she had drawn that with Mokuba posing or not. My idiotic mouth couldn't move. After trying to make my stubborn mouth say SOMETHING, I decided not to say anything. Instead, I flipped to the next picture.

It was me. That was unmistakably my hair, my body, my hands, but… it didn't have a face. The picture-me was looking into the card necklace. I could tell by the angle of the head and the light smile that was sketched on the face. There were no eyes, no nose, and no eyebrows. But before I could examine it further, the notebook was snatched away from me. I turned to see Yani staring at me with hurt shining in her cerulean eyes. Oh god, the color of my eyes was her hurt. My heart started to ache at the sight of those deep blue eyes staring back at me. But suddenly her face softened, probably because of the look of pure shock and regret on my face.

"You… you don't know what my face looks like?" I managed to ask. She scowled.

"I never touched your face. Mokuba let me touch his," she said shortly and walked past me to Mokuba's classroom. Just as she got to the door, I pulled her back. What possessed me to do what I did next, I don't know. I pulled Yani to a chair left in the hallway and made her stand in front of me while I sat. Then, before she could get over her surprise, I took both her hands and gently put them on my face.


	13. Greek

Yani's POV

"Δείτε μέσα από μένα, ο λύκος μου," he murmured into my hands and closed his eyes. I froze at the sound of my native language. I wanted to bolt, and his hands weren't around my wrists anymore. Yet, I was rooted to the spot, enchanted by the sound of a human voice uttering such wolfish words. 'See through me, my wolf'. How had he known that phrase? Especially in Greek. That was the greeting which the wolves howled to blind alphas. Except… we didn't say 'my wolf'. Nor were our voices laced with emotions I could not identify.

The human's breath blew underneath my fingers, urging my fingers to move. As slowly as I dared to move, I skimmed my hand over his face, his features becoming ever clearer in my mind. The warm curve of his face and his fluttering eyelids attracted my hands as I continued to feel what he looked like. And then, slower than I ever imagined I could move, I dragged my hands through his hair, not knowing what color they were but still noting the feel of thick, silky strands. All of a sudden, the memory of last night when he touched my head started to haunt me again.

"Τι χρώμα είναι τα μάτια σου;" I couldn't help but ask, "What color are your eyes?"

"Κυανός" he answered, "Cerulean." He paused a moment before continuing. "Τα μάτια μου είναι δικά σας, όταν σας βλάψει. The color of your eyes when you are hurt." His face was so sad at the thought of my hurt that my heart almost broke when I felt his countenance. I couldn't take this anymore.

I jerked my hands away from his face and turned. Because I had touched his face, I could see his face perfectly now in my mind. So without turning around, I knew when he opened his eyes in surprise and looked at my retreating form. I knocked on Mokuba's door three times and waited for the teacher to open it.

"Mokuba will be leaving class early," I said as steadily as possible to the male teacher gaping at me and looking me up and down. Pervert.

"Ah… a-are you Mokuba's guardian? If y-you aren't, I'm a-afraid I cannot-t let him g-go," he stuttered as the students in the class gaped at me just as the teacher had done. Stupid older teenagers. I felt that Mokuba was the youngest one there and was the only one who was smiling happily.

"Is Seto here?" Mokuba asked, already starting to pack up. I paused and looked out the hallway where Kaiba was sitting, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, staring intently and regretfully at me. I hesitated.

"κυανός φεγγάρι μου…" I murmured "My cerulean moon…" If he actually knew what he was saying yesterday, then he would know the significance the moon had to my life. And finally, he smiled. I had never seen him smile like that before to someone else besides Mokuba, so trustingly and so much from the heart. But the smile only stayed there for a second. When he stood up and reached the door where I was standing, all traces of the smile was gone from his face.

"Come on Mokuba," he called and coldly glared at the teacher who was looking at my legs. Mokuba, done with packing, burst out of his seat and was standing next to us in two leaps.

"Bye, Aya!" he called behind his shoulder.

"Bye, Mokuba!" a female voice called back. Woah… a female voice? I looked at Kaiba at the same time he looked at me. I tilted my head and he responded with a raised eyebrow.

"We'll talk in the limo," he mouthed, and smiled again. Wow, he was really happy. He had smiled twice in one hour.

When we were all in the limo, Mokuba turned to Kaiba.

"Where are we going, Seto?" Mokuba asked excitedly.

"Just lunch," Kaiba replied and then leaned over me to talk to Mokuba. "Now who is Aya?" I felt an interesting topic starting.

"Oh…" Mokuba blushed. "Just a girl in my advanced math class. She's older than me and she's really pretty." Now his whole face was red. "We're just friends though! And she's the only one that treats me nice. But sometimes, she gets made fun of by the older guys because she only hangs out with me…" Then Mokuba scowled so deeply that I widened my eyes in shock. I had not realized that he could show anger that vehemently. "I wish I could hurt those guys for making fun of her." I raised my eyebrows and felt Kaiba's eyebrows rise, too.

"Mokuba," I said gently, "if you want to help Aya and win her respect, you can't do it by beating boys up for her just because they made fun of her. She's independent and she can take care of herself. What she needs is someone who will stand up for her when no one else will. And that's how you can be her knight in shining armor… But then again… you ARE only twelve." I shook my head. "Attraction at such a young age…"

"But Yani!" Mokuba protested, "you're only sixteen!"

"No Mokuba, think deeply." I told him, "How old am I?" Mokuba's face fell.

"Oh. Right." He looked out the window into the highway. "That's not fair…" he mumbled.

"Am I missing something here, λύκος μου?" I drew in a sharp breath at the sentence. Huh, so it was 'my wolf' again.

"Δεν είμαι λύκος σας. Σταματήστε να με καλούσε αυτό. I am not your wolf. Stop calling me that." Mokuba's ears' perked at the sound of an unfamiliar language.

"Greek? Seto, when did you pick that up?" Mokuba asked.

"Today," Kaiba replied. Very quietly, so that I could only hear, he added, "Για σένα. For you." I could feel the brokenness in his voice that he hid so well. His face was completely composed.

Whatever. I brushed off that feeling inside me. I was supposed to be punished. Besides, no one loved me; they only felt an attraction to my body. Aphrodite had proven that VERY well.


	14. Instinct

Seto's POV

"We're here!" Mokuba cried and jumped out of the limo door even before it had stopped. Yani stepped out of the limo and followed Mokuba, who was running across the lot. After ordering my driver to come back when I called, I stepped out and caught up to Yani near the door. I opened the door for her and raised my eyebrows when she stopped one step into the threshold.

"Kaiba… This floor is… I can't see through this floor." She took a step back and out of the doorway. I immediately understood. Gently winding my left arm around her waist, I tucked her into the left side of my body and took a step forward. "Δείτε μέσα από μένα, ο λύκος μου," I said softly, "see through me, my wolf." She looked up and I saw a look on her face that I didn't understand. She looked like a child who had woken up from a wonderful dream and had lost that dream forever.

"κυανός φεγγάρι μου, μη με ξυπνάτε από αυτό το όνειρο," she closed her eyes, and walked with me to the table. Her words vibrated over and over in my head. "My cerulean moon," she had said, "do not wake me up from this dream."

I had watched her through the whole meal. She hadn't ordered anything, just ate off Mokuba's plate, as if she wasn't hungry. She wasn't like those other girls I dated, the ones that didn't eat because they didn't want me to think they were pigs. What stupid ideals. She just honestly did not seem hungry. But when dessert came, she smiled when Mokuba asked if she wanted some ice cream.

"Ice cream sundae and split?" she asked. Mokuba laughed.

"Definitely!" he grinned and asked the waiter for one.

She absolutely loved the ice cream. I had never had a sweet tooth but when she asked me if I wanted some, what could I do but say yes? So she lifted some into my open mouth, carefully, her eyes locked on mine even though she couldn't see my eyes. Her eyes were cerulean. Hurt. Sadness.

"Do not wake me up from this dream," she had said. What did that mean?

After Yani and Mokuba finished up the ice cream, we got into the limo and started the drive home. I noticed Mokuba slowly starting to lean against Yani. Finally, he dropped into her, breathing slowly, clearly asleep. Yani wrapped an arm around him and leaned back to sleep. Finally, I tore my eyes away from her to look out the window. The lights on the street glowed brightly, illuminating the main street, but not the winding back roads. After the limo traveled over a bump, I suddenly felt a light weight on my arm. I turned my head, smiled, and gently tucked a sleeping Yani to the left side of my body for the second time in the night, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Just moving my head so she wouldn't wake up, I inhaled her scent for the first time. She smelled like... chocolate. And ice cream. Like lemons, and the crisp sea breeze, and the fields basking in the sun. Like rain falling on pine needles and a cold winter night. I couldn't stop breathing her scent. Even if she had woken up, I think I would have found a way to inhale her scent forever. I stayed there for the rest of the two minute ride, in the fragile balance of reveling in her light, airy scent. And then the driver announced that we were home. Slowly unwrapping my arm from her so she wouldn't fall, I told the driver he could go in and I carried Mokuba out of the limo and into his room. As soon as I got him tucked in, I went back to the limo for Yani.

I didn't know what to do. Whether to wake her or to carry her or to let her sleep in the car. What if she were one of those girls who were embarrassed by her weight and didn't want people carrying her? I picked her up anyway. I wanted to breathe that scent again, even if it was for the last time. She was staggeringly… light. I didn't mean light as in a hundred pounds. Nor did I mean seventy pounds. I meant ten, maybe fifteen pounds. She was fifteen pounds at most. Unnaturally light.

But… what could I expect from a girl like her? Every single part of her seemed to be composed of moonlight and nothing else. I carried her to her room and tucked her in just like I tucked in Mokuba. I was just about to leave the room when I saw something glittering on her cheek. A water drop? But it hadn't been raining…

It was a tear drop. And another, and another. Now I saw the trail of tears pouring down her face, as if she had been crying. She hadn't made a sound. What kind of person cried silently? And in their sleep? And at that moment, I knew that if she cried like that, I wouldn't be able to hold back my tears. So I acted on my instinct, just as I did when I pulled her into the limo the time she saved Mokuba's life. I took off my shirt and my socks, pulled back the covers, and slid in next to her on the bed. Rocking her against my chest and wiping her tears away, I said something that I had only said to Mokuba in my whole life.

"Μην κλαις, λύκος μου. Μην κλαις."

Don't cry, my wolf. Don't cry.


	15. Vacation

Yani's POV

One morning, I woke up at sunrise to cook breakfast for Kaiba and Mokuba. When I went downstairs, I was surprised to see Kaiba awake in the living room because, in the summer, the sun rose pretty early, earlier than Kaiba usually woke up. However, he didn't sit on the couches properly like he usually did. Actually, he was lying on the carpet, just looking up at the ceiling. What REALLY worried me was that he was doing nothing, just blankly staring with an immensely tired look on his face.

"You're up early," I commented to Kaiba, who was drinking his coffee like a drug. He glanced at me and then went back to staring at the ceiling.

"Hn," he replied. When I turned around, I could feel that he was staring at me tiredly but still fiercely.

"What are you staring at?" I said, turning around with a mild look of curiosity on my face. He looked at me for a second longer and then sat up with his back to the couch. Beckoning with two fingers, he motioned for me to go to where he was. When I took only one step forward, he smirked and beckoned again. Sighing, I sat cross-legged by his side and waited for whatever he was going to say. Instead of saying anything, he just stared at me curiously, our faces inches away. Then, slowly, with the arm he had propped on the couch, he dragged one of his slender fingers down the side of my face. I stiffened involuntarily and then forced myself to relax. I had lived with Kaiba for over two months. If he had wanted to hurt me, he could have done so at any moment in the past. He spoke suddenly.

"Usually around this time of year, I start to burn out with work," he started to explain. "I actually tried to keep working one time and I literally collapsed in the middle of a meeting. So my doctor said I and Mokuba have to take a vacation around this time every year." He paused and suddenly, he sighed and leaned back rapidly. I started to cringe back at the sudden motion but Kaiba grabbed my hand with a speed I didn't know he had.

"Λυπάμαι," he apologized.

I'm sorry.

I breathed out at the sound of that word and relaxed again, my hand still in his bigger ones.

"Would you like to come with us? It's just a short flight by the jet to a private resort on a small island. There's a hot spring and a beach there." He moved so that we were no longer holding hands but he was still interlocking his pointer finger with my little finger.

"Ok. When do we leave?" I questioned.

"Today actually," he said looking at his watch. "In two hours. That's why I was up so early, because I was making the preparations." Thus, I found myself boarded on Kaiba's private jet two hours later, clueless about what was going on.

When the airplane lifted off, Kaiba immediately took out his laptop and started to tap away on the keyboard.

"Seto! The flight is just an hour long! Can't you stop being a workaholic for an hour?" Mokuba pleaded.

"I'm going to vacation for a week, sweetie. I can work until I get there," Seto replied without even glancing up. Mokuba pouted but soon fell asleep on a couch because he had woken up so early.

"Kaiba, stop working," I said quietly, while he tapped on relentlessly, obviously ignoring me. With a shrug of my shoulders, I walked to where Kaiba was sitting and jumped next to him on the couch. Even then, he didn't stop typing, only smiled slightly. Then, I closed his computer screen.

How he reacted to that was different from what I was expecting. Instead of glaring at me for disturbing his work, Kaiba pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, stretched, and then propped himself on one elbow, facing me.

"Κερδίζετε, λύκος μου," he smiled, "You win, my wolf." But what he did next almost surprised me out of my smile. He I felt the smile erase from his face as he collapsed against me, slumping into my shoulder. Almost immediately, I felt is breathing slow and his heartbeat quiet. In literally three seconds, he was asleep.

I had never known anybody who could fall asleep that fast, not even Poseidon. He looked vulnerable when he was asleep, even fragile. Ugh… this was so annoying. Gently shifting so that I wouldn't wake up the already tired Kaiba, I shifted so that his head was in my lap and folded his arms on his stomach. He wasn't faking this sleep; I could tell when people were faking sleep. I thought he had been joking when he said he collapsed when he didn't stop working. Obviously, he wasn't.

That's how Mokuba found us later, with Kaiba curled up on my lap like a kitten. He took one look and helped me carefully get out so that the sleeper wouldn't wake up.

"You know he loves you, right?" Mokuba asked quietly, while discussing the best approach in waking his brother up.

"Sure, we're good friends, I suppose," I answered, absent mindedly, wondering if tickling would wake this stoic billionaire up. Mokuba took my hand so I would pay attention to him.

"No Yani, he LOVES you. Intoxication. Adoration. That kind of love. Seto never showed that kind of love to any of the girlfriends he had so far," Mokuba said, steadily. I stared at him, unable to comprehend what he just said. Then it clicked. Heavy silence hung in the air as I stared at Mokuba and he stared at me.

"I don't believe in love, Mokuba," I said, quietly. "I was trained not to." Unable to stop the tears that I knew were coming, I left the plane and a very confused Mokuba on board.


	16. Nightmare

Seto's POV

Ever since I first saw her cry silently in her sleep, I would go to her room late at night and sleep by her. Then, I would leave at three in the morning to go to my own bed. I don't think she ever noticed but for me, it became a habit to smell her intoxicating scent and cradle her small figure in my arms, begging her not to cry. So I wasn't surprised when I found myself in her room at the resort, sleeping on an ornately carved bed.

Mokuba told me what had happened when I had been knocked out.

"She said she doesn't believe in love," Mokuba had stated, watching my face carefully. "And then… I think she went to a party. She came back really hurt, with bruises and cuts all over her body. She went to sleep after that." Around that point, I think I had turned on heel and staggered to Yani's room, even though I was still light headed from my collapse.

She was such a heavy sleeper, but only at night. Once, she was taking a nap in the middle of the day, only to snap awake when I stepped inside the room. Sitting down on the side of her bed, I gently took her hand and pushed back her hair with my other hand. Then with my index finger, I slowly traced the cuts all over her face and her arms. I sighed.

"Yani, are you doing this to yourself?" I murmured and slowly stroked her face with my hand. Curling up beside her and resting my head in the crook of her neck, I waited for her to start crying, hoping to the gods she wouldn't but knowing she would. But then, everything got a billion times worse.

She screamed. She opened her eyes, bit into her pillow and screamed like she was being tortured. But instead of crying and sobbing loudly like you were supposed to when you had a nightmare, she clapped a hand on her mouth as tears silently streamed down her face. When I looked into her eyes… they scared the living daylights out of me. Her eyes were pure black, so that the pupils and the iris were indistinguishable.

"Παρακαλώ, τον Άδη, να λάβει την ψυχή μου. Δεν θέλω να ζούμε σε αυτόν τον εφιάλτη πια," she cried

Please, Hades, take my soul. I don't want to live in this nightmare anymore.

She jumped out of the bed but collapsed to her knees, still not making a sound as she cried for someone to kill her. Mokuba ran into the room, his hair and eyes wild.

"Seto! Make the noise stop!" Mokuba pressed his hands over his ears. "It hurts!" He started to cry. But whatever noise he was talking about, I couldn't hear it. All I knew was that the only two people I would have saved from anything were suffering by my feet. I had to do something. I pulled Yani close to me.

"Shhhhhh… Yani! You're hurting Mokuba. Shhhhh… it'll be ok. It's just a dream sweetheart. Don't cry. Nobody's going to kill you. Shhhhh…" I kissed her on the forehead. Not anything too serious, just a mouth to forehead. Immediately, I felt a stinging pain on my cheek. It was more of a pushing motion than a slapping motion, but it still stung.

"Να μην αγαπάς. Κανείς δε μ 'αγαπάει. Να μην αγαπάς. Κανείς δε μ 'αγαπάει. Να μην αγαπάς. Κανείς δε μ 'αγαπάει. Να μην αγαπάς. Κανείς δε μ 'αγαπάει" she was screaming now.

Don't love me. Nobody loves me. Don't love me. Nobody loves me. Don't love me. Nobody loves me. Don't love me. Nobody loves me...

It hurt just hearing that.

She slapped me across the face again and pushed my chest with the flat of her hand. I let her. How was I supposed to fight against a girl who didn't believe in herself? Who cried without making a sound? I could feel the tears building up behind my eyelids but I closed my eyes, forcing them back.

"I love you." I said it quietly, half hoping she would hear and half hoping she wouldn't. She stopped shaking immediately. "I love you," I repeated again, still quiet. "And I'll love you even if the world ceases to turn. I'll love you even if I never win against Yugi Moto in a duel. I'll love you even if all my stocks crash, or… or if my stepfather tortures me again. λύκος μου… my wolf… Θα σ 'αγαπώ ακόμα κι αν ποτέ δεν μ' αγαπάς πίσω.."

I'll love you even if you never love me back.

There. I had said it. My one greatest fear.

Mokuba had uncovered his ears and was looking from Yani's face to mine. When I looked down at her face, I drew in a breath. The early dawn light filtering in from the window made her eyelashes throw long shadows over her pale face, which accented her bright lavender eyes.

Lavender was confusion.

"Ψεύτης," she breathed, and the next thing I knew, she was gone.

Liar, she had said.

She did not believe me.


	17. Strawberry Martini

Yani's POV

I stumbled into the house at, maybe, twelve in the morning, bruised, bloody, and sick to my stomach. As soon as I entered the living room, I was greeted by a very angry Mokuba, his mouth set in a grim line.

"Seto locked himself in YOUR room since you left and he hasn't talked since then. What were you thinking? You think he's lying? Are you blind? Oh yeah… YOU ARE! BUT APPARENTLY IN MORE WAYS THEN ONE! You and I are his LIFE! Didn't you notice that?"

"Go to bed, Mokuba," a quiet voice said behind the fuming boy.

"Seto…" he turned to me again. "I love both of you. So don't fight. Please." He walked out of the room and a moment later, I heard him climb up the stairs and into bed.

The strawberry martini I had drunk started to burn in my stomach. Bolting to the kitchen, I threw up sweet liquid in the sink. Then, I felt Kaiba gently brush and hold my hair back as I retched in the sink. I coughed hard when I finished and wrinkled my nose when I was offered a glass of tap water.

"I didn't say you had to drink it," Kaiba said, neither amused nor angry. So I took the water, rinsed and spit, watching some of the blood I had coughed up drain down the sink in golden swirls. Being extremely light-headed at the moment, I barely noticed when Kaiba gently lifted my up by the waist and set me on the kitchen counter. After putting is cool hand against my forehead to check for a temperature, he pulled out a first aid kit and proceeded to bandage the cuts all over my body. After a while, while he was examining my hands for cuts, he started to speak.

"Yani, look at me."

I didn't.

He put a tender hand on my chin and tried to pull me up to meet his eyes.

I jerked back and looked down at the floor again.

Then, he did what I never thought he would have done. He kneeled down, as if he was in submission, and looked up at me with dull cerulean eyes. Lowering his head, he murmured something that made my eyes widen.

"θεά μου του λύκου, μην το κάνετε αυτό στον εαυτό σου.. Πιστέψτε ταπεινός υπηρέτης σας, όταν λέει ότι σας αγαπά."

My goddess of wolves, do not do this to yourself. Believe your humble servant when he says he loves you.

I felt my tears drop on his dark brown hair before I felt them running down my face.

"Μην γονατίζουν μπροστά μου, την ανθρώπινη," I replied.

Do not kneel before me, human.

He stood up, still keeping his head lowered. Suddenly, he put his arms on either side of me on the countertop and rested his head against my shoulder.

"Please," he begged, "don't hurt yourself like that. Don't cling to those men who abuse you…" And for the first time in my life, I didn't flinch at the contact.

"I won't," I promised. "For you, κυανός φεγγάρι μου."

My cerulean moon.

Then cautiously, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hid my head in the crook of his shoulder.


	18. Stolen Terror

Seto's POV

That night, I didn't go to sleep besides her like I usually did. She came to me of her own accord. After she had gone into her room, Yani appeared into mine about two hours later.

"Kaiba," she whimpered, "nightmares won't stop." I was too tired to do anything except prop myself up on my elbows and beckon with two fingers. When she sat on the edge of the bed, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her under the covers so that she was facing me. I don't know what happened after that but I think I just knocked out with my arm around her waist and her head nestled into the crook of my shoulder. All I knew is that I slept with the deep satisfaction of knowing that I would have to leave her in the middle of the night to go to my own bed.

When I woke up, Yani was gone. But I still could smell her intoxicating scent around me; she had been here moments before, I knew it. Still, I was half afraid to leave the room. I didn't know if Yani was still at home or with another abusive guy at the bar. As I was stretching, my door burst open and two wriggling figures jumped on my bed.

"Seeeeeetoooooooooo! Get up! Get up! Get up!"

"Kaibaaaaaaaaaa! Beach! Beach! Beach! Beach! Beach!"

"Hn," I replied and turned over to burrow in my pillow, smiling. Just then, a cold nose flipped me over and onto the floor beside my bed. A beautiful, absolutely stunning wolf sailed over my shoulder and landed inches from me. Then, almost immediately, Yani took my hand and helped me get up.

Holy crap. She was a shape shifter.

Mokuba laughed at my surprised expression and took my other hand, towing me to the door.

"Come on Seto! It's time to go to the beach!"

There weren't that many people there because the beach wasn't very well known. However, it was a wonderful beach, with a cove on the right and soft, white sand. I was wearing rolled up skinny jeans and a white sleeveless shirt because it was pretty cool and windy at the shore; I didn't plan to get into the water anyway. Mokuba, on the other hand, was wearing nothing but swimming trunks and a very happy expression on his face as he plowed into the oncoming waves. As I looked to Yani, I saw the air around her shimmer and all of a sudden, she was standing in a black bikini. I looked up and closed my eyes, but opened them quickly when I felt a slender hand by my nose.

"Kaiba, your nose is bleeding." Yani held a tissue to my nose and tilted my head forward.

"S-sorry," I stuttered. "I… didn't get enough sleep." Yani looked at me curiously and then shrugged.

"Are you gonna come into the water?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I never do. I don't know why Mokuba keeps bringing my trunks." Yani grabbed by swimming suit out of the bag and put it on. Then, she grabbed my spare shirt, put it on, and ran off to play with Mokuba. For some reason, her wearing my clothes just turned me on even more. I shut my eyes and tried not to think of the goddess in front of me. After awhile, I calmed down and I risked another look at Yani. The wet shirt stuck to her frame, accenting her slight waist and hips. The shorts basically rode on her hipbones, threatening to fall off her hips at the next strong wave.

Look away. Look away. Look away. Look away.

I closed my eyes again and breathed slowly, water running down my face in wet st—wait, WHAT? I opened my eyes to find Yani and Mokuba almost doubled over in laughter at my probably slightly annoyed and slightly amused face.

"RUN MOKUBA!" Yani yelled as I launched out of my seat. Both of them ran for their lives as I let my long legs catch up to the slower of the two, Mokuba. I caught him, picked him up, and flung him into the water.

One down, one to go.

I couldn't catch her. She was too fast, never got tired. All the time, she seemed like she was… teasing me. As if this was a fraction of the speed she could run. At one point, she sidestepped me ran past me the other way, laughing the whole time. It was time to outwit her.

"Ouch!" I yelled, and fell, clutching my knee, right at the place where the water just reached me. Yani skidded to a stop and ran to me. Even when I was pretending to be in pain, my eyes widened her speed; she was beside me in a heartbeat.

"Kaiba! Are you hurt?" she said, worried.

"No, I'm fine," I replied, standing up.

"Are you sure? Where did you get hurt?" I grabbed her by the waist and forearm.

"Yes Yani, I'm fine." With that, I flipped her far out into the ocean, farther than Mokuba because she was so light.

She landed on the water. Not IN the water, with a splash. ON the water.

"Hey!" she cried, pouting, "you cheated!"

"I cheated?" I said, ceasing to gape. "You're the one who's WALKING ON WATER!" She looked down and scowled. Then, she dropped into waist chest deep water with barely a splash.

All of a sudden, I got tackled from behind by a soaking wet Mokuba.

"Yani! Help me!" he shrieked. She ran over and pulled me closer to the ocean. When I was knee deep in water, Mokuba let go and Yani used my forward momentum to launch me out into the ocean. When I shot up to the surface, I shook my head and wiped my face.

"Yani, toss me my swim suit." Yani smiled and took off the bottom to throw it at me. I changed in the water and left my wet skinny jeans and my wet boxers on the beach chair.

"You guys," I said, walking to Mokuba and wringing out my shirt, "are dead kids." I lurched into a run, caught Mokuba immediately, and whispered something into his ear. Yani, who was too distracted to see the whisper, threw water into my face and wrenched Mokuba out of my grasp.

"Now!" I yelled to Mokuba and he kicked a spray of water into Yani's face. Then he ran to me as Yani shook water out of her eyes. She laughed and then raised her hand. Suddenly, a gigantic wave wrapped around Mokuba and me and dragged us partly out into the sea. I think Mokuba wasn't scared because he knew that Yani would never hurt him but I was freaked out as I was carried out into waist deep water. Mokuba automatically ran out to chase Yani, who leaped away. As I started to slowly slog out of the water, and felt my blood run cold as I saw Yani stop suddenly in front of a group of boys.

I ran.

"Hey, wanna come play with us?" one of the boys asked. Yani shook her head and back one step away. A muscular boy from the back stepped up and grabbed her wrist.

"I know this girl. She likes it rough," he grinned and tightened his hold on her wrist. Yani winced in pain and tried to tug back. All of a sudden, the boy who was holding her slapped her across the face and let her go at the same time, dropping her on the ground.

"You like that don't you?" the leering boy asked as his friends made a rough semi-circle in front of the kneeling Yani.

"Get away you asinine miscreants! Of all the crass things to do, you knock a girl to the ground? How—" Mokuba cried out in pain as one of the thugs knocked him aside. By that time, I had reached the group and I picked Mokuba up.

"Leave!" I managed to hiss through clenched teeth, "Before I kill you." An arm reached quickly to my throat; I grabbed it and broke it with one hand. The boy it belonged to went bawling to the back of the group where he tried not to cry.

"I will not repeat it again. Leave!"

"Come on guys!" the kid who looked like the leader said, "he can't take us all at once!" All of them rushed towards me as I prepared to fight. Just then, the smell of the best class wine and fresh grapes filled the air. And with a resounding CRRRAAAACK, their minds broke union. They stopped and tripped over one another, slapping each other over the head and running off to dance in the water. Needless to say, it was absolutely frightening.

A man with dark brown, gelled curly hair and a very stylish partying suit materialized in front of me. With an expression of pity on his face, he reached down touched Yani's beautiful hair. She was sitting with her knees to her chest, her eyes dead black as the blankly stared ahead. When he touched her, she stirred nothing else happened.

"Μην αγγίζετε της," the man said, straightening up with a sad look on his face.

Don't touch her.

As if responding to my look of surprise, he went on.

"το μυαλό της είναι γεμάτη με μεγάλες τραγωδίες τώρα. Αν την αγγίξεις, θα μεταφέρει το unto εσείς. Αυτό θα ρευστοποιώ είτε το μυαλό σας ή τραυματίζουν σας."

Although I had learned Greek, I couldn't understand some of it. The language he spoke was old, older than the form of Greek I spoke. But it sounded something like, "Her mind is filled with great tragedies right now. If you touch her, they will transfer unto you. This will either liquefy your brain or traumatize you."

I kneeled and put a hand on her cheek anyway.

There's a reason people tell you not to do things.

All of a sudden, I felt like I was hit with a thousand volts of electricity, making my teeth rattle and my eyes roll back in my head. But the feeling passed after a split second and I found myself looking at a warzone. A dying child was cradled in my arms, his or her entrails spilling all over my legs. Then abruptly, I was at a store where a girl was tied up, gagged, and being gang raped by a group of construction workers. I realized with a shock that Yani had seen all these terrible sights. The pictures flashed on, faster and faster, some of which I did not understand. The faces of hundreds of men flickered by, all of their mouths twisted into ugly leers. I think some were trying to rape a black haired, slight girl in the corner but the pictures past by too rapidly to think about. Then suddenly, a man with crew cut hair, bulging muscles, and terrifying crimson eyes towered over a girl. She looked up and I saw familiar pitch black eyes…

"Όχι!" I screamed, "NO! YANI!"

I was back to the present again, with Yani entangled tightly in my arms.

"Όχι. No. Please. Stop." I couldn't stop shivering. I clutched Yani tighter, making sure she was safe, that she wasn't disemboweled and dying slowly like the other child had been. That's when I noticed the terror was slowly ebbing away, drawing to the front of my body…

I jerked away from Yani so that I wasn't touching her anymore.

"Shhhhh… Kaiba, come back. I can make it go away. Shhhhhhh… don't be scared. It's not happening. It never happened. Come here…"

"Liar," I spat with my breathing still ragged, "Every single one of those things happened to you!" Her eyes hardened conspicuously, but… they didn't seem as pitch black as before. Maybe more of black before dawn, waiting for light.

It hit me.

"I can keep this, right? So it can be less sad for you. I can heal you this way—"

"And destroy yourself?" she spat, "Come here Kaiba before it sets in." But I could already feel the terror setting into my bones, committing themselves into my memory forever. I took a deep breath and smiled shakily. Good, I could help her like this.

"I'll help you Yani, I promise. This is the only way I can," I said firmly, if not softly. Then, even more quietly, I added, "I love you Yani."

All of a sudden, Yani turned to the stranger.

"Dionysus? When did you get here?" Yani said coldly, truly confused but scowling.

Dionysus?

The strange… god? wasn't looking at her. His deep purple eyes were focused intently on me.

"Κρατήστε αυτή την υπόσχεση θνητός, και να προστατεύσουν την κόρη των θεών, θεά μας των λύκων," he said fiercely and vanished into thin air with the smell of fresh pressed grapes left in his wake.

Keep that promise mortal, and protect the daughter of the gods, our goddess of wolves.

Mortal?


	19. Forgotten

Yani's POV

We went to the beach every day until the end of our vacation. Luckily, the gang didn't return again. But I was a little bit annoyed at Dionysus. I didn't need his help and he just randomly showed up. I was SUPPOSED to be punished. Anyway, when we went back home, we went straight to sleep because it was our first day of school tomorrow.

"Welcome class!" another enthusiastic teacher of the year shouted to my junior class. "We are going to have so much fun this year! Now, the requirements for…" I zoned out, like always. Besides, this was tech class; I was going to fail it anyway. I always passed tech in summer school because the teacher didn't care, but apparently, the teacher cared in the regular school year. Once again, I took out my notebook and started to draw the beach where we spent our vacation.

"Excuse me, Mr. Angelo, may I speak to you for a second?" I jerked my head up and realized Kaiba was standing there.

"CAN YOU STOP INTERRUPTING MY CLASSES?" I yelled, "STOP FREAKING FOLLOWING ME!" I was really annoyed at him. So far, he interrupted all my classes so far, informing my teachers that I was blind. How they didn't know was a mystery to me but he also managed to transfer me to all the classes he was in so he could take care of me. Like I needed to be taken care of!

Kaiba smiled and continued to talk to the teacher. And of course, the teacher sent me sympathetic glances and said things like "oh the poor little girl" and "of course, of course, I'll send the transfer sheets right away". I sighed and slammed my head down on the desk. All my classmates were looking at me curiously, not that I cared. No hostility though, this class didn't know me yet. Suddenly, Kaiba grabbed my hand and wrenched me out of the desk. Dragging me along with my notebook, he practically ran out the classroom with me in tow.

"Gods! I hate it when they look at you like that," he muttered, pulling me into his classroom. But before I could ask what he was talking about, he was already conversing with the teacher about my transfer up a grade and into EVERY single class with Kaiba so he could 'take care of me'. And before long, I was seated in the back on a desk with Kaiba next to me.

"What do you mean you hate it when they look at me like that? And who?" I whispered, making sure that my eyes were dead ahead, not that what my eyes did mattered. Kaiba just shuddered.

"Hush, and listen to the teacher," he said, but not before fear and complete rage was briefly expressed on his face.

I knew what he was talking about then.

"It's about… that. Right?" Ever since he stole some of the fear from my memories, I refused to talk about it, believing that he had made a mistake in trying to commit himself to misery. But this time, Kaiba was the one that stayed silent, taking notes on what the teacher said. I sighed and opened up my notebook and took out my color pencils out of my bag. I started by making my mind go completely blank, letting the first image I thought of be strong and defined. And of course, it was Kaiba. Damn… not again. I sighed again and started to sketch an outline with a pencil. Oh well, I might as well draw him.

Slowly, the figure started to take shape on the paper. After the rough outline was done, I filled the lines in with pen and then began to color. The picture showed Kaiba with his head slumped on his arms on the desk, blankly looking at a computer screen while a wolf was tugging on his free hand… How the HELL did I get into that picture? The worst thing about drawing with my method is that the subconscious completely took over. Apparently, the fact that I had allowed him to keep the memories had been on my guilty conscience.

By this time, I was done coloring and the class was packing up to leave. Unfortunately, now the fact that I had transferred memories so terrible to Kaiba was really starting to hurt my chest. I could feel tears slowly building up.

"Kaiba?" I stuttered quietly, closing my notebook. He just kept packing his supplies.

"Kaiba!" I whimpered slipping one of my hands into his bigger ones. This time, he turned around quickly.

"What's wrong?" he said, reading the distress on my face. "Are you hurt? Are you sick?" He put the hand I wasn't holding to my forehead. I stood up rapidly, almost crashing into his head.

"Kaiba, did you really want those memories? I can take them back! Don't do this to yourself! Don't hurt yourself because of me!" His eyes widened as I continued, "I was sent to this earth to suffer, not make others suffer. Really! I can take it. It doesn't hurt that much for, me cuz I'm used to it! Kaiba are—"

I was interrupted by a gentle kiss on my cheek. And before I knew it, my hand crashed into his cheek, turning his head slightly. But then, a warm sensation spread from my cheek to the rest of my body. I almost felt… happy. Overjoyed. But then with a jolt, I realized I had hit Kaiba again.

"S-sorry," I stammered taking a step back. For the second time, I did something involuntary.

"Please don't hurt me," I blurted and clapped a hand over my mouth.

Then, Kaiba did something that was unimaginable, even to me. He laughed. Not a mean "I'm-totally-going-to-get-you-back-bitch" laugh but a gentle laugh, as warm as sunshine.

"It worked," he whispered and then winked at me. At that moment, I knew he was talking about the warm burst of joy after he kissed my cheek.

"W-what did you do?" I asked as he took my hand and brought me out of the classroom to the next class. He turned around and looked at me solemnly.

"It's a secret," he smiled, kissing my index finger. Again, I felt the intense joy spill into my veins and push back more of the terror. I scowled and pulled my hand out of his, walking towards the next class I had with him.

"Hi, I'm Yugi. This is Joey, Tristan, Tea, Bakura, and Duke."

"Hey, I'm Yani," I said and smiled. These mortals had very friendly auroras, no hostility at all.

"Nice to meetcha!" Joey drawled, lounging with his leg over a chair back.

"Hi," Duke and Tristan said, simultaneously, with their mouths open. For some reason, their stares didn't seem perverted to me, only intensely shocked.

"Welcome to Domino High," Tea said happily, "are you new around here?"

"Nah, I was just pulled up a grade," I said, shrugging my shoulders, "I'm supposed to be a junior."

"Wow! You must be really smart then!" Yugi said, his huge eyes widening even more. I shook my head.

"Not really. Kaiba just pulled me up so he could take care of me."

"REALLY? Rich boy did that for ya? Is he your brotha or sumthing?" Joey voiced, suddenly upright in his seat.

"Ummm… no. I kinda live with him. I'm Mokuba's babysitter, cook, etc."

"Woah!" Duke exclaimed. I thought there was going to be an awkward silence but I guess these guys were too friendly.

"Why does he need to take care of you though?" Tea asked, frowing.

"I'm blind."

The whole group became silent.

"Then… how did you get here?" Tristan wondered.

"I'm really sensitive to my surroundings so I can usually maneuver my way around. And my fingers are extra sensitive so I can read stuff that are written by hand or printed in ink. But if it's laminated or glossed, then I don't know what I'm reading."

"That's so cool!" Yugi exclaimed and then blushed, "not your blindness… but… yea." I laughed.

"No problem, I know what you meant," I said.

"Hey, I want you to meet someone. His name's Yami." I smiled.

"Sure!" All of a sudden, Yugi wasn't standing in front of me anymore. A crimson eyed man who was about my height with multicolored spiked hair stood in front of me.

I felt like my world had been returned to me. The happy memories we had together rushed back to me, drowning all my senses of this world except for the figure standing in front of me. This face was paler, but still the same. His eyes, his face, his hair… he was back. But… was he allowed to remember? Did the gods let him remember anything? At least me?

"أتيم؟ أخي؟" I asked, in Arabic, hoping to the gods he'd remember me.

Atem? Brother?

"Pardon?" he replied, and just like that, my hopes came crashing down around me. I think Kaiba felt it because suddenly, he turned to me and watched me carefully.

"Oh, nothing," I said, smiling weakly, "nice to meet you Yami, I'm Yani." He shook my hand and I could feel his eyes lingering on me.

"Have… we met before?" he asked, tilting his head. I had missed his voice, but now, they held nothing special for me. It was too polite, like talking to a stranger. He didn't love me anymore.

"Maybe," I heard myself say. Kaiba stood up suddenly and made his way over to me rapidly, almost running. Yup, he definitely felt it. "Look guys, I really have to go."

"Hey, Moneybag! Give tha poor gurl a helping hand wontcha? I mean, arentcha supposed to do dat?"

"Be quiet Joey."

They were shocked into silence. Kaiba never called Joey by his first name; only mutt, puppy, dog, Wheeler, idiot, and beggar. Never did he say 'be quiet' as if he was being polite.

Kaiba reached a hand to me.

"Yani, are you ok?" I slapped his hand away and stood up. The mouth of every single person in the room dropped. I don't think they ever saw Kaiba worried or in that case, slapped.

"Let's go home," I said dully, and started to walk away.

"Yani, your notebook" I heard Yami say, holding it out. I stretched out my hand and it flew in a straight line into my fingers. Now, the teacher was gaping. I didn't care anymore. Atem didn't remember me.

Kaiba scooped up his bag and tailed me out the door. Outside, he interlaced his fingers with mine.

"Let's go get some ice cream," he said quietly. I wrenched my fingers out of his hands. I turned and started to walk the other way.

"I don't want ice cream. Let's go home."

"Yani, what's wrong?"

I exploded.

"I HATE THIS PLACE! MY BROTHER IS IN THERE AND HE DOESN'T REMEMBER ME! I HATE THIS WORLD! I JUST WANT TO DIE AND GET MY PUNISHMENT OVER WITH!"

"Yani…"

"AND STOP SAYING YOU LOVE ME. YOU DON'T! YOUDON'T YOUDON'T! STOP IT! I HATE YOU! I THIS PLACE! I HATE THE GODS! I HATE LIFE!"

Thunder rumbled outside and a storm suddenly brewed. Good, the gods had heard. Let them be offended. Like I cared anymore.

"Yani…"

"MY BROTHER LOVED ME! AND NOW HE DOESN'T! WHO'S LOVES ME NOW?"

I was crying on the floor. Kaiba pulled my face closer to his but I wriggled out before he kissed me. I didn't want him to give me that happiness. I just wanted to suffer. Suffer and then die.

I felt him pick me up and cradle me to his chest. Then I felt him walking but I couldn't care less where we were going. I was limp in his arms, unmoving, tired of life, from crying so much. Sooner or later, he put me into the passenger seat of his Lamborghini and started to drive with one hand, the other hand holding my hand.

By this time, I was silent. I vowed to remain silent for the rest of my life, until my brother held that special tone in his voice again for me. Only for me.

"Yani, listen to me…" I stayed silent, not interrupting him but also not listening either. I think he knew I wasn't listening to him because he sighed.

"The other day while I was driving home my world was shaken  
It occurred to me that I had left too many risks untaken  
I'm always sitting here just waiting for a revelation  
Is it ever gonna come?

All this searching yet my destiny is still unfound  
Makes me realize this world will always let me down  
So it seems that the only hope I ever had  
Was everything that You are"

He sang quietly, his voice washing over me, paralyzing me, and yet… closing open wounds inside me. It had been a long time since I had heard a song. I licked my lips.

"Sing again."

"I'm falling down  
Tumbling after You  
I'm overwhelmed  
Tripping over simple truth  
In all I've found  
There's nothing that's more beautiful  
Than what I've found in You"


	20. Necklace

Seto's POV

She answered.

"You could always see right through the front I'd offer You  
Not believing my excuses, waiting for the truth  
When You could have turned Your back  
And walked away from me  
You picked me up instead"

Once again, I had reason to believe she was bred, raised, brought into existence, by wolves. She did not howl, but her voiced ebbed with melancholy and wistfulness. She sang in tribute to the darkness and true ironic brightness of night. Wonderful visions came into my head of woods run by night. Of a cold nose pointed to a full moon. Of treacherous mortals being pulled towards that wonderful howling, only to meet their gloriously proclaimed doom.

I knew I was good at singing, a genius, like in everything I did. But compared to her, I was an idiot. She copied my melody and sang a slight variation of it, probably making up words on the spot.

When she fell silent, I started again.

"So we'll turn another page and change the way I look at You  
And maybe I'll begin to understand what You went through,"

And here I stopped, wanting her to continue.

"Not content to leave me wandering and unaware  
You took my hand instead"

And for the first time, I felt her hand settle in mine, as if she was content. We pulled up at the ice cream shop and I slid my hand out of hers, got out of my car, and opened her door. She was staring at me very thoughtfully, as if she were seeing me, truly seeing me. Underneath the money, the looks, the talent, the intelligence, the clothes, the kind words, the voice. Right into the very core of my heart. I offered my hand to her and she took it, carefully getting out of the car and walking across the lot.

The weeks passed peacefully from that incident on. I didn't understand what she meant when she had said her brother was in the classroom but I accepted it as one of her mysteries, her quirks. She became very close with Yugi and his friends, which I disapproved of but tolerated. But she wouldn't let me kiss her face or her hand, though she did permit me to hold her hand when no one was watching. I stood unwavering with my affection, so that she would always have someone to hold on to if she ever needed.

She never returned affection. Never did she hug me, hold my hand of her own volition, or say she loved me. She seemed to be accepting everything with reluctant grace, as if she knew whatever treatment she was receiving was temporary and would be over soon. Soon, Christmas and New Year's passed, making Mokuba very crestfallen when she disappeared on both those days. She reappeared the next day, silent, with pitch black eyes.

Every night, I watched her cry and silently wiped her tears away. Sometimes, when I touched her, jolts of her nightmares would race up my arm and into my brain, making me see terrible, horrible things. But then, a wall would block my vision and I would know that Yani blocked me once more from the whole nightmare.

"Seto!"

Mokuba's voice jerked me out of my reverie.

"Come in Mokuba," I said, rubbing my eyes and turning off the computer. My excited brother rushed in and stood in front of me, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Guess what, Seto?" he whispered furtively, looking around to see if anyone was there. Of course, no one was there and I laughed at my brothers antics.

"What Mokuba?" I asked, truly wondering what he was about to say.

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day!"

"And?" I said, raising an eyebrow. He scowled.

"We have to get Yani a present! But we don't know what she wants."

"Why not ask her?" I suggested, amused. He scowled again.

"Sheesh Seto, you have no sense of romance."

"And your hormones are going insane," I smiled getting out of my seat and heading out of my study.

"We should buy her candy! And flowers! And a trip to the spa! Invite Yugi and his friends over!"

"Hn."

"Chhhhhh! Fine! I'll ask her," Mokuba rolled his eyes and ran into Yani's room, while I leaned against the doorway.

"Yani! Valentine's Day is tomorrow! What do you want? What do you want?" She looked up from where she was doing her economics homework.

"I want AP economics to crawl into a hole and die."

She said it so seriously and solemnly that I started to laugh. I pulled a chair to where she was sitting and sat in it.

"Why didn't you just ask me for help?" I asked, amused, as she glared at me.

"Mortals are idiots in economy."

"You're saying this to the person who earned a billion dollars in a day." She smiled and tugged a lock of my hair.

"I want to invite Yugi and his friends over for a sleep over as a present from both of you," she said, letting go of my hair and turning to Mokuba.

"I sanction this request" he said regally. "Prince Seto?"

"I sanction this request," I replied even more regally, playing along. "Πλην δεν επιτρέπεται φύλο," I said to Yani, giving her a wicked smile.

But no sex allowed.

She smacked her head down on her desk, rolling her eyes.

Although Mokuba did not understand what I said, he nodded as he observed Yani's reaction.

"Seto said something perverted," he stated wisely and smiled.

Later that night, the losers came over together, bearing chocolate for each other and Yani.

"Are you going to see the movie with us Kaiba?" Yugi asked, holding up some idiotic movie they had decided to watch.

"Later," I said shortly, and stalked up to my study. The sounds of laughter and the movie drifted up, making it hard to concentrate on the stock charts on my screen. After maybe two hours, someone knocked on my door.

"Hey, rich boy, come on an' play M'noply with us," Joey drawled, not bothering to open the door.

"No," I answered and went back to my computer.

"Έλα" Yani said.

Come.

I sighed, stood up, opened the door, and walked downstairs to where the board was already set up.

Yugi, Tea, Joey, Duke, and I played. They started with shouts of laughter and jeers when it seemed like I was losing. But when I bought all the property right before GO, they became silent. Within fifteen minutes, they were bankrupt.

"How did you do that?" Duke asked me, with his eyes wide. "I mean, I knew we were both businessmen but… how did you do that?"

"I'm just too good," I smirked and stood up. I watched as Mokuba played Monopoly with them, secretly pleased when he beat them in less than an hour.

"You Kaiba's are too much," Tristan said as Mokuba brought out a bottle.

"Truth or dare time!" Mokuba called and everybody got into a circle except me.

"I refuse to play this game," I said when they looked at me curiously and sat on the couch to watch. Mokuba pouted at me and waited.

"Man, he has you wrapped around his finger," Duke said when I sighed and sat down next to Yani. Mokuba spun the bottle first and it landed on Duke.

"Ok Duke, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Ok, you say all the girls love you. How many girlfriends have you really had?" Duke turned red and started to squirm under the scrutinizing looks of all his friends.

"N-none," he stammered as a laughter erupted around him. Scowling, he took the bottle and spun it.

"Yugi," he said, trying to get the attention off him, "truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Do you like Tea?" A chorus of 'oooohhhh's rose as he turned red.

"Kinda…" he whispered and then turned redder when Tea hugged him.

"Awwwww… Yugi! You're so sweet!" she said, laughing. Yugi turned the bottle and it landed on Joey.

"Truth or dare!"

"I pick dare ya cowards! Chhhhhh! And ya guys call yerselfs men!" Joey said.

"Ummm… I dare you to… hold Yani for the next two turns!" I almost strangled him when he smiled an easy grin and waved Yani over. He slung an arm over her shoulder and she leaned against him, smiling. Joey spun the bottle and it landed on Mokuba.

"Ok little Kaiba, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to sing I'm a Little Teapot!" Mokuba laughed and stood up.

"I'm a little teapot short and stout

Here is my handle and here is my spout

When I get all steamed up hear me shout

Tilt me over and pour me out!"

Cries of 'he's so cute' rang throughout the room as Mokuba laughed and spun the bottle again. This time, it landed on Tristan.

"Truth or dare, Tristan?"

"Dare."

"I dare for you and Duke to hold hands," Mokuba said with an evil glint in his eye.

"Forget it!" both of them shouted.

"Do it! Or I'll force ya both," Joey said, laughing hard. Reluctantly, they joined hands as Tristan spun the bottle. It landed on Yani.

"Truth or dare Yani?"

"Dare," she said, laughter lighting up her eyes.

"I dare you to punch Joey for me." She laughed and punched him lightly in the abdomen as he pretended to fall over and die. She spun the bottle and, of course, it pointed to me.

"Truth or dare Kaiba?"

"Dare," I answered, leaning back on my hands.

"I dare you to be my slave for the rest of the night."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Fetch water for Joey, slave." I sighed, stood up, and brought back a glass of water for Joey, and spun the bottle. Since everybody went, this was the last turn. It landed on Yani.

"Truth or dare, Yani?"

"Truth."

"Do you think I love you?"

Dead silence fell over the room.

"No," she said and turned away.

"What will make you believe I love you?"

"Only one question is allowed, mortal," she murmured softly and looked at me, her cerulean eyes shining with hurt.

Sooner or later, all of them drifted off to sleep watching TV. Tea was leaning against Yugi. Duke and Tristan, both fighters for Serenity's, Joey's sister, love were unknowingly snuggling together. Yani wasn't paying attention to the TV. Still wrapped in Joey's arms, she was looking vaguely out the window, her eyes flickering different colors. I stood up and walked over to her.

"Come on, let's take a walk," I whispered and took her hand, pulling her out of Joey's sleepy embrace. I walked her to the garden and stood while she ran her hands over the branches of almond trees, the light of the full moon bathing everything in silver. A light snow had fallen in the night and every bough in every tree was holding a light dusting of powder.

"Yani," I called and she started to walk towards me. "I have a Valentines' present for you." I felt at the base of my throat for the emblem and gently lifted the necklace from my neck and passed it over her head.

"A silver wolf?" she said, tracing the wolf that sat on his haunches, howling to the sky. I took her hand and placed it on the hollow of my throat.

"A silver moon," she whispered, understanding, lightly brushing her hand over the charm at my throat.

"I wanted to give that to you at Christmas but you disappeared. So I've been wearing it this whole time. But it's a necklace, so it got a lot of laughs in the boy's locker room." I noticed she was shivering and her lips had a blue tinge to them. Taking of my jacket, I helped her put it on and then zipped it up, kneeling on the ground to do so.

"Tie my shoes for me, slave." I smiled and tied her shoes for her while she looked down at me and patted my hair. She held out her arms.

"Carry me home." I picked her up and she locked her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. By the time I stepped into the house, she was sleeping like a child. I woke her up as I neared the couch where Joey was sleeping.

"Yani, I want a Valentine's gift."

"What do you want," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes when I set her down next to Joey. She was stunning and adorable at the same time. And vulnerable. I could have taken advantage of her. I could have kissed her, hugged her. I didn't.

"I want you to call me Seto."

"I'm not at a first name basis with you Kaiba."

"But it's my Valentine's gift."

"Overuse cheapens love, slave," she yawned and curled up next to Joey.


	21. Sick

Yani's POV

"Yani! Wake up!" Kaiba pulled back the covers as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "We're going to be late for school!" he warned, pulling my leg over the bed. I looked out the window and I saw clouds obscuring what should have been a wonderfully blue April sky.

"No wonder," I mumbled and changed while I was walking down the stairs, the air shimmering as it wove clothes for me as soon as I thought of what to wear.

"Kaibaaaaaaaa! Let's gooooooo!" I called up the stairs, making Mokuba run down the stairs and into the limo.

"I told you to call me Seto," he said, jumping the last seven stairs to the ground. I wasn't feeling quite well then so I just stood until he caught up with me and didn't say anything.

"Yani, are you ok?" Kaiba asked me, touching my forehead with the palm of his hand. "Holy crap. Yani, you're burning."

"I'm fine!" I snapped and dragged him by his tie all the way to the limo.

I couldn't concentrate in school, not even to draw. Every three seconds, I would look out the window and feel that clouds were still swirling outside the window. I felt something… restless in me. Like I wanted to punch something. Needless to say, Kaiba was worried.

"Yani—" I started to cough, interrupting whatever Kaiba was saying. Nothing too serious though, just light coughs.

"Yani, you're sick. I'm taking you home."

"No you're not. Just let me finish today at least…"

"It's not like you do anything significant at school," he said, frustrated. "Why don't you go home and rest?" We stared at each other, both of us frustrated for one reason of another.

"Because it's the only time I get to see Yami," I said quietly, walking towards the final class of the day.

When I got home, Kaiba made me go to sleep right away.

"You're sick," he interrupted when I tried to argue. "Bed, now."

"I don't want to."

"I wasn't asking for your opinion. That was an order."

"I have things to do Kaiba."

"They could wait until you're better."

"I can do what I want. I'm old enough."

"You're in my house. Do what I tell you."

I snapped.

"No! You're not my brother! Stop telling me what to do! I'm fine, okay? Stop bothering me!" I screamed at him. Suddenly, a bright light flashed to my left side. Then, everything became darker as moonlight streamed in from the window.

"Listen to the mortal, little wolf cub."

"Listen to him, love."

I turned to find Lady Artemis and Apollo staring tiredly at me.

"Don't call me 'love', Apollo," I spat to the blond-haired teenager. He smiled an easy smile, flashing his white teeth and looking like the perfect male model for surfing gear.

"But you're so pretty and—"

"I prefer brunettes," I shot, glaring daggers at him.

"Yani, you're sick. Just admit it," Apollo said with a shrug.

"It doesn't matter if I'm sick or not, oh so called 'God of Medicine'!"

"You cannot spurn love that way, wolf cub," Lady Artemis said, her voice ringing through the hallway. I bowed to her. In this form, she was a small child with a white and silver tunic which accented her silver and black hair, tied into pigtails.

"I am pure in your favor, Lady. I have not loved!"

"That is not the reason you have not loved," she whispered, slowly melting away. "Look carefully within your song, wolf cub and you will accept the true reason why you reject the mortal." Seconds after she disappeared, Apollo gave me a playful wink and disappeared in a flash of light.

I howled. Just sang my heart out into the sky as I let my frustration break in waves.

"Yani, bed."

"NO!"

"Yani, you're throwing a tantrum."

"Maybe I want to! I hate growing up! I wanna be a kid again!" Just like that, I was crying. "The world is so messed up! Being a kid was so much easier! I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP!"

Before I had time to think, Kaiba flipped me over his shoulder, tossed me on the bed, and lay down next to me. I felt him smiling in the darkness and this made me stop crying.

"Why so smug?" I asked him, brushing a hand lightly over his face.

"I prefer girls with black hair," said the brown haired mortal, leaving the room before I could say a word.

Kaiba didn't bother to wake me up the next day. When I slowly came to, I heard him making a phone call to the school telling them Yani and Seto Kaiba would not be attending school. I almost yelled at him but when I tried to get up, I just collapsed back into bed. I felt sick, really sick and when I looked out the window, I confirmed it was still cloudy. My head felt like it was encased in lead and as soon as I moved, a pain shot through both of my temples. Kaiba heard me trying to move and quickly walked into the room.

"Don't move Yani, you have a really high fever," he said, sitting next to me and placing an icy hand on my forehead. I kicked the blankets away.

"Too hot," I mumbled, curling around his waist, hoping he was cooler that I was. His eyes widened when I untucked his shirt and slid my hand until it rested on his stomach. But he understood and took off his shirt.

"Do you know why you're sick?" he asked after most of my body was touching some part of his skin.

"It's too cloudy."

"Yani, are you delirious?"

"No Kaiba."

"If a man has a million US dollars, what is the best plan he should undertake to get a billion British shillings?"

"I'm not delirious."

"Which plan?"

"I wouldn't know the answer to that question even if I weren't delirious!" There was a silence as I tried not to throw up and focused on the mortal's arctic skin.

"Kaiba…"

"Seto," he growled.

"I'm going to die."

"AP economy isn't that bad, is it?" I struggled so that I was sitting up and facing him.

"No Kaiba," I said softly, "Really, I'm going to die."

"You ARE delirious."

"How many days has it been cloudy?" He thought for a while, looking into my eyes.

"Four." There was dead silence as Kaiba looked at me and I looked at my fingers.

"If the clouds don't clear up… I die tomorrow."

"Yani, just get some rest—" I flipped him over, sat on his stomach, and pinned his hand over his head.

"LISTEN TO ME!" I screamed, "I'M. GOING. TO. DIE!"

He overpowered me easily and sat up, still keeping me on his lap. With one hand, he brushed the tears away from my face and raked a hand through my hair.

"Why?"

"I need moonlight, Kaiba." There was silence as he considered what I said.

"You're not going to die." I rolled off him.

"You are the most stubborn, idiotic, disconnected—"

"I won't let you die."

"Kaiba, you are so blind in your own way."

"Hn."

"I can't see what's right in front of me but I can see what's going to happen. You! You're just unable to see what's going to happen although you can see what's going on right in front of you!" Pain shot through my head and I started to cough again. When I stopped coughing, Kaiba held a cup of Swiss spring water to me and made me drink the whole cup. Then, he pulled the covers over me again and just lay there beside me, saying nothing.

"Can I go to your office today?" I asked Kaiba, gently covering his face with my hand.

"No."

"Why not?"

"The obvious reason, heart."

"Don't call me that, Kaiba."

"Hn." I laughed softly in spite of myself.

"What are you laughing at?" Kaiba asked, slightly indignant and worried.

"…love it when you say that…"

"Hn?"

"Yeah… you say that to everyone else so… special when you say it to me 'cause… talk to me more than you talk to them." I felt Kaiba place a hand on my head again and I closed my eyes. I could feel my words starting to slur together.

"Just go to sleep, Yani." I heard him say as he cupped my face with the hand that was on my forehead.

"Kissm'furst…" I heard someone that sounded like myself slur. I felt Kaiba's face get closer to mine, his breath mingling with mine. Then he backed away, silent.

"Demand that of me when you aren't half dead and hallucinating." I could hear him slowly getting out of bed so I wouldn't wake up. All of a sudden, I grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled him so that he was lying next to me again.

"Don't leave me…"

For the next how so many hours I was out, I was aware of what was only happening to me. I couldn't move my body because I was so weak and I felt nails being hammered into my head. I coughed, a lot and I felt blood come up my throat during the later hours. Soon, I hallucinated hands all over my body and death in the middle of moonless nights. Sometimes, I had hallucinations of men with ammunition belts slung over their shoulders and knives by their waist. Every time that happened, I screamed, even though I knew it was a hallucination. I heard Mokuba's frantic, shrill cry and Kaiba's whispered reproach.

Kaiba turned my head to the side and I threw up blood and bile into a bucket. Gentle fingers cleaned out my mouth and water washed out the blood. But constantly, I felt his body by my side, his skin in contact with mine as he slowly ran his hand through my hair. All day and night, he didn't leave me once.

Then, it was over. I was wide awake, somewhere outside. I hadn't opened my eyes but I could feel the warm night air around me and a warmer body supporting my back.

"Are you awake, Yani?" I opened my eyes to glowing moonlight raining from a cloudless sky. I shifted against Kaiba to get off him but he just pulled me back so that my back was resting against his chest.

"Yeah," I whispered and then started to cough weakly. When I stopped, my chest hurt too much to sit up so I just leaned back against him.

"Where are we?" I asked after a minute. He shifted and that's when I noticed Mokuba was nestled into his side, a blanket over him.

"On the roof."

"How did I get here?"

"I carried you."

I didn't saying anything more, just listened to the sound of cicadas and crickets chirping. And the sound of that steady heartbeat behind me. Kaiba moved his arms around my shoulders and placed his cheek on the top of my head.

"I don't think you realized how scared I was."

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"I never said you had to say sorry."

"I'm sorry, nonetheless."

I felt around my wrist for what I was looking for and then when I found it, clasped it around Kaiba's wrist.

"It's a bracelet, so you're going to have to put up with a little more teasing in the locker room." He examined the silver bracelet made with the silver wire and strung with bead charms of a wolf, a moon, a sun, a glass of wine, a seashell, a human bone, a caduceus, an olive branch, a bundle of wheat, and a hammer.

"Thank you Kaiba." The bracelet tinkled as he moved his arms more securely around me.

"You're welcome."


	22. Reflex

Seto's POV

When the lunch bell rang, all the students filed out of the classroom into the cafeteria, where they enjoyed their third-rate food with their third-rate friends. I sat at a table not far from where Yani and the loser group were sitting. Taking out my computer, I typed a report that was due the following day and completed it in five minutes, keeping an eye on Yani the whole time. She was still recovering from her near death sickness and the doctor said to watch over her closely when I told him what happened.

"That child is as fragile as a flower," he had said, "Like a flower, she needs some sort of light and like a flower, she needs to be taken care of."

All of a sudden, Yani started coughing weakly. I flashed out of my table and was beside her in a second. Pressing a handkerchief firmly to her mouth, I waited until she stopped coughing. When I examined the handkerchief and realized there was no gold blood staining it, I breathed a sigh of relief. After I put a hand to her forehead and confirmed there was no fever, I returned to my seat without a word and started to work on my computer again. The mutt slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Wow. Rea'ly ov'r protective dontcha think?" he said, grinning in my direction. I didn't say anything. He didn't realize how scared I had been, even though I told Yani she wasn't going to die. Blood had poured out of her mouth so fast, that I thought she was going to suffer from blood loss. Then the hallucinations came. She was screaming and crying silent tears while I couldn't do anything to stop it. It think when the moon broke through the clouds, I was so relieved that I had almost cried. I would have wept if I were that type of person. That had been one of the two scariest moments of my life, the other being when Mokuba was almost hit by the truck.

Idly, I examined the bracelet on my wrist, turning it to see all the beads. I HAD gotten a lot of laughs at the bracelet, especially in the locker room. But when I smiled at the guys who were teasing me, they just shut up with a slightly frightened look on their face. I couldn't help but think back to the time when I smiled at Yani and she said, "Ten puppies just died", smiled her own smile, and then walked off.

"Kaiba, let's go home." I looked up and saw Yani standing in front of me with her hands behind her back, just like a child.

"Why?"

"I want ice cream." I thought about what she said for a moment and then shrugged.

"I thought you wanted to see Yami." As soon as I said those words, I regretted them. Her eyes turned cerulean as she took a step back from where I was sitting.

"O-ok, let's s-stay here." When she turned away, I jumped out of my seat and circled her wrist with my hand.

"That's not what I meant Yani."

We stared at each other until the cafeteria was empty and students from the next period were starting to walk in.

"Let's go get some ice cream," I said, grabbing my silver jacket and my computer.

Yani went to wait outside as I signed out for both of us in school. When I walked out, I saw a group of girls and two guys walking toward Yani with hate very apparent in their faces. Because I wanted to avoid anything that might get Yani hurt, I quickly stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go Yani," I murmured, forcing myself to keep my voice calm. Too late, we turned to go. If thought these girls were going to call some insults, I couldn't have been more wrong. One of them managed to pull Yani out of my grasp because I was so surprised and another pushed me away.

"YOU MADE MY BROTHER GO CRAZY!" one of the girls screamed, her face red, hair flying. Yani tilted her head and gave her a questioning look.

"Huh?"

I do not think that was the best answer for a situation like that.

The two large guys stepped towards me but I just broke one's kneecap and flipped the other one over my shoulder. Then, I froze.

Every time I look back to this moment, I can always recall the feeling of not being able to breathe. I can always hear my heart thumping in my head and my eyes widening in shock. And every single time, I tell myself that we should have stayed home that day.

One of the girls pulled out a gun.

My body jumped before I knew what I was going to do. It was a reflex and when my mind caught up with my body's actions, I automatically accepted it and approved of it. The only thing I could hear was my mind screaming for Yani to move. The only thing I could think of was Yani's pitch black eyes and her slight smile at the sight of that gun. At her certain death. Freedom at last.

Two bullets hit my back as I stepped in front of Yani.

After that, I only saw glimpses of what was happening. When the blackness cleared from my eyes, I saw Yani fighting the whole group of girls, the wings on her back glittering in the sun, using the gold knife for the first time. It seemed like this knife was actually spilling blood and screaming but I wasn't sure because then, the blackness returned and I couldn't see anything, only feel intense pain on my back.

When I felt something being pushed near my mouth, I opened my eyes. Everything had a golden hue to it. I wiped gold blood from my eyelid, coughed, and watched as red blood spurted into the air. A wrist was being pushed at my lips again and I looked up to see Yani with red and gold blood all over her face.

"Drink it," I heard her say faintly. So I lapped up the blood that was pouring out of her wound. For some reason, it tasted absolutely delicious and I couldn't even begin to describe it at that moment. Later, when I could think, I recognized the taste as honey, cinnamon, and ice cream, with a slightly salty tang to it. After that, I couldn't see what Yani was doing to my body anymore. I couldn't feel her hands. Even the pain from the bullets was starting to go away as numbness started to run through my veins. But as I looked at her bloody, tearstained face, I felt my heart… stop. It literally stopped. But when it started again, I could feel something strange about its beat. It was abnormally fast, even though I didn't feel worried or anxious.

I wanted to comfort Yani before I died. I wanted to tell her to take care of Mokuba and that I loved her. But once again, my vision turned black and the last sight I saw was of the sunlight glinting off her hair and the blood that covered her face. I felt my hand hit the concrete as I failed to reach her face for the last time.


	23. A Single Line Out Of The Dark

Seto's POV

"Δεν έχει ακόμη αδελφός του νόμου, εξακολουθείτε να έχετε κάτι ακόμα να κάνουμε."


	24. Healing

Seto's POV

I felt a tongue brushing my face, a sting following where ever it touched.

"Don't open your eyes Kaiba." I didn't. Right then, I was overjoyed just to listen to that voice that I thought I would never hear again. She licked my eyelids, first my left, then my right.

"You can open them now." When I opened my eyes, I was staring into the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They were gold and black and cerulean, mixing together to make each color inseparable from the other. I felt how I did when I saw them for the first time, absolutely unable to speak. Then, they disappeared as she leaned over me to lick the other side of my face. My lips were cracked and dry, which hurt when I opened my mouth. But cautiously, I reached out to lick her neck. When she froze in surprise, I licked her neck again, more forcefully. All of a sudden, she pulled back and licked my mouth, her tongue making a warm pass over my hurting lips. As I just lay there in shock of the affection that she just showed me, my lips ceased to hurt.

She was healing me.

When she was done, she sat down on a chair by my side. The door banged open and Mokuba rushed in with water.

"Big brother! You're ok!" he bawled and hugged me tight. I hugged him back just as tightly, burying my face in his hair.

"When I heard you got shot…" he started to cry into my shoulder.

"Shhh… Mokuba. It's ok. Yani fixed me." My voice sounded rusty, as if were coming out from the bottom of a well. "I'm all better."

"Go to bed Mokuba, you can talk more in the morning." I noticed it was dark outside, probably close to midnight. Mokuba hugged me hard one more time, slowly got off the bed, and went to his room.

"You don't know what happened, do you?"

"I don't want to know," I said, shaking my head. "All I know is that you saved me from dying."

"I almost made you die."

My heart started to beat more rapidly and with an intense jolt, I realized why my heart was acting so out of place, why it had stopped when I was looking at Yani for what I thought the last time. I let the silence hang for a minute, fully understanding why my heartbeat was changing and trying to wrap my mind around the gigantic idea.

"If you think you caused that," I said making my voice as cold as possible, "then you are the most self-centered person I have ever seen." My heartbeat slowed from a humming to a beat.

Besides, it hadn't been my time to die.

Not yet brother in law, you still have one more thing to do.

The voice had been soft and yet… so frightening. As if the dead were speaking.

All of a sudden, Yani placed her head and arm on my stomach and started to cry. At first, I could tell she was crying only by the slowly dampening clothes near my abdomen. But when I stroked her hair, she started to sob, her breathing strained as she tried to contain the sound.

"You don't have to cry silently, Yani. Nobody's going to hurt you if you do." And for the first time since I met her, her whole frame was wracked with sobs that tore through the silent air. My heart thumped painfully in my chest, crying on its own.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" I didn't say anything, just caressed her hair.

"I love you, Yani,"' I said when the sobs died down.

"Don't say that," Yani said, muffled by my stomach. "You don't know what you're getting into."

"I don't care." My heart skipped a beat and then started to beat faster.

"You don't… care?" she turned her head to my direction, still nestled on my stomach.

"No." She was silent for a bit.

"Most guys say 'Yea, I do know what I'm getting into'."

"I'm obviously not most guys." She stayed there looking at me a moment longer and then started to unbutton my bloody and dirty uniform. I tried to sit up to help, but I couldn't because my back still hurt. When she got my shirt off, she stripped me of my pants, leaving me in my black boxers.

"Go to sleep Kaiba," she said turning off the lights.

"You're sleeping with me, Yani." I could almost see the indecision on her face, the emotions that battled in her tired mind. In the end, she walked over to my bed, jumped to the other side, and crawled underneath the covers. Putting an arm around my waist, she settled her head in the crook of my shoulder.

"Kaiba…" she paused and hooked a finger into the bracelet around my wrist, hesitating on what to do.

Raising herself up slightly, she lightly licked me on the lips.


	25. Request

Yani's POV

"Σιωπή!" the voice roared as lightning charged the air. "Έχουμε ακόμη να κρίνουμε της!" The noise died down automatically, but the three glares continued. "Άρης, ποια είναι η απαίτησή σας!"

"This girl accuses that I have raped her. Treachery!" the god with the ammunition belts bellowed, "I would not touch a goddess, much less a minor one!"

"Αυτή δεν είναι μια μικρή θεά," the pale god declared. "Είναι κληρονόμος μου, αν μου ήταν να εξαφανιστούν."

"Do not stand up for me, my lord," I whispered, turning to Death's bearer.

"DO NOT SPEAK WITHOUT BEING SPOKEN TOO, FOUL-MOUTHED WOLF!" she screamed, making the crystal wine glasses rattle.

"You just did, Hera," the wise one pointed out. There was silence as the goddess' looked at each other; one glare filled with motherly rage and the other filled with calm intellect. "Besides, only the Three Original Sons may use the ancient language in the throne room. She must speak to be heard if she may not speak in the original language."

"Some kind of heir she turned out to be, Hades!" the god with the whip by his side sneered. "And if she isn't a minor goddess, she sure isn't a major one!"

"I retract the charges of rape." My voice rang clearly throughout the hall. "I made the story up."

"Γιατί το έκανες αυτό, λίγο νερό σταγόνα μου?" The ocean rustled as he spoke.

"I was jealous of Lady Aphrodite for being fickle. I wanted her attention. Maybe if Ares were to supposedly rape me, I would have her sympathy. So I made up the story but obviously, it didn't work." I turned to the god with the knives in his belt. "I'm sorry for accusing you falsely, Lord Ares."

"Too smart," my creator whispered. "Believable. Behold! This is what red wine does to the body."

"Let her work in my forges, making jewelry for my wife," he smith god said, hasty to save my nimble fingers.

"Or on the fields, where she is as apt as taking care of nature as Pan or my daughter," the mother of harvest said, also eager to keep my blood from spilling.

"Or let her suffer on earth, this is what I decree." The sweet, lecherous voice echoed in the stillness of the throne room. "Being that I am the one most sorely deceived, I desire to take the punishment in my own hands."

"An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind," Apollo voiced, staring seriously at the Seducer.

"Did you make that up brother?" my lady asked, mildly impressed.

"Yes," he lied, keeping a straight face.

"This is what I wish for, Father Zeus. She will be reborn until she finds someone to fall in love with her. Life after life, pain after pain. Then she will truly know that love is not a force to be tampered with!" Her perfume drifted to my sensitive nose, too strong. Father Zeus thought while the hush resounded louder than any catcall.

"Πολύ καλά."

"No Father! She is one of my very best maidens," my lady cried, truly distraught.

"Hush Artemis," the goddess of love mocked, "Leave the affairs of love to those who can love." As the throne room erupted in protest, Hermes slowly floated to me.

"Come child," Hermes whispered sadly, kissing me on the cheek, "Let's get you some jeans."

I woke up screaming. I opened my eyes and saw the leering face of the god with brutal hands in front of me. He was reaching for me, trying to strangle me again.

Then, the hallucination was gone. I was still crying, silently again, but a warm hand had covered my eyes, shutting out the floating threat in front of me, even though I couldn't see.

"Shhhhhhhh Yani. There's nothing in front of you." He kissed me on my cheek and I felt the terror start to subside, being replaced by limp relief.

"D-don't kiss me, Kaiba." He sighed but still kept his hand on my face.

"Seto. Please call me Seto." I trailed my hand upward and covered his eyes with my hands.

"It's so dark, Kaiba," I sobbed, wanting him to see the darkness that I saw. "So dark."

"I know, love, I know." He stroked my hair, pulling me closer with the hand that had been covering my eyes, gently removing my hands from his eyes, and putting it to his cheek.

I had been reborn five times, replacing daughters all across the globe. And every time, Aphrodite had made it miserable for me. I found the world to be without love, without any sort of affection besides bodily attraction. Never had I lived out a full term; I had always been killed by brutal rapes or by my own hand.

The world had been horrible to me.

So how had I made friends this time? How had I met my Egyptian brother? How had I experienced Mokuba's fierce hugs? Of course, there still was animosity towards me from students but how had Kaiba said he loved me? Placed those few gentle kisses he had managed to get past my wall? Instilled that intense happiness when his mouth touched my skin?

I didn't know how, except they were all tricking me. That's why I never believed Kaiba when he said he loved me. Because he didn't. Aphrodite would make sure of that.

"Are you okay?" Kaiba asked, grazing my mouth with his fingers. I hadn't had that dream in a while. That meant something big was going to be taken from me if I didn't punish myself soon. In my last life, my best friend had been killed in a gang fight. I couldn't let any of my friends get killed this time. Especially Mokuba or Kaiba.

I had to leave.

"Yani, where are you going?"

"I'm going to take a walk. Don't follow me."

There was one place I could go to get the most punishment. It was fine; I would just meet Kaiba later at school if I survived. Not that I cared if I did.

"Yani, I'm coming with you."

"No you're not." I took my silver knife and slashed through his chest.

He fell asleep instantly.

I walked out the front door just as the clock chimed seven thirty. Mokuba would be up by now. HE would be getting ready for work. But Kaiba wouldn't, not for awhile anyway. I started to run for the place I spent my first two years in this life. As the rich neighborhood started to blend into the middle-class neighborhood, I took a right turn and felt for an apartment with steel and bronze foundations in the ground.

I knocked on the door just as he opened the door to go to work. We stared at each other for what seemed like eternity, my mother behind him, staring at me, too.

"What the HELL are you doing here?" my father breathed, dropping his suitcase.

"I—" He picked up a small side table and slammed it into my chest. I went tumbling backward down the ten stone steps and landed hard on the ground.

"Didn't I say to never come back?" he growled dangerously, coming down the steps slowly. I didn't say anything, just coughed up blood. I received a sharp kick to the stomach that made me skid backwards on the concrete.

"Answer when I speak to you," he said calmly and rolled me over with his foot. "You know, I thought we had a lot of potential in you, at least to marry off for some money. But it seems like nobody took a liking to you anyway." He put a foot on my throat and started to crush my air passages. "Now look at you, you're a freak and we couldn't get anybody to marry you." He stopped trying to choke me and let me sit up. "You're good for NOTHING!" I slid backward a couple of feet when he placed a blow on the side of my cheek. He was staring at me with pure hate in his eyes.

"WHO'S GOING TO MARRY YOU NOW? WHO'S GOING TO LOVE YOU? YOU'RE BETTER OFF DEAD!"

He was pulling back his leg for another kick when something hit his face with a dull thud.

"I will." My breath froze in my throat, and my chest tightened painfully. My father picked himself up.

"Hello Mr. Kaiba. Nice to see you outside of a meeting."

"I'll come back with the marriage papers tomorrow, is that ok?"

My father snorted and started to laugh.

"Are you really willing to take this bitch? She's lazy, selfish, annoying, slutty, stupid… well… I can go on and on but you get the point."

"Her name is Yani. She not 'this bitch'. And yes, I am willing to take her."

"Well I sure am not paying for the fucking wedding. Nor the dowry, even though this slut is worth maybe a dollar."

"I will pay for everything. In fact, I'll be the one paying the dowry to you. But we won't be able to get married immediately because she's…" He looked down to me, his head outlined by the sun, making him look like he was glowing.

"Dear, how old are you?"

"Seventeen," I answered automatically from where I was sitting at his feet, too numb and shocked to give a more eloquent answer. He frowned.

"You're birthday passed? Why didn't you tell me?" He faced my father again.

"Because she's seventeen. However, I'll bring the papers and the dowry later so that you won't be bothered in the future." My father looked as if he wanted to laugh and I thought I could hear my mother cheering in the back.

"That's fine with me. Now if you excuse me, I have to go to work."

"One more thing, Mr. Mizuko."

"Yes?" my father asked, in good humor now that I was gotten rid of.

"My sincerest sympathy to the loss of your company," he said, smiling innocently and sweetly.

"Since when did I lose my company?"

"Since now." My father's phone rang and I could hear the frenetic shrieks of his workers.

Then, I was in familiar arms, being carried away from that dreaded human.

"Yani, I was so worried when I woke up and you weren't there. I didn't know where you went and neither did Mokuba."

"Kaiba…" I whispered, pulling on his shirt.

"We didn't think you went to school because you knocked me out with your knife. And you had a bad dream the night before. It was Mokuba who figured out that you were going to your parent's house…"

"Kaiba…" I said louder, my voice still weak from the table slamming into my chest.

"…to punish yourself. So I followed you and stepped in just as your father was about to kick you. I knew something like this was going to happen so I bought out his company. I'm sorry for the informal way I proposed though. I wanted to wait until you wanted to marry me, but the situation called for desperate measures. But we still do have to wait until you turn eighteen. I didn't buy a ring either but I will as soon as…"

"S-seto…" Even though I said this quieter than all my other calls, he stopped and looked down.

"S-seto, I don't want to marry you."

"Ok," he said after a pause and started to walk again.

"I don't know why you keep insisting you love me. I know you don't. Aphrodite wouldn't let you love me, ever." I started to cough, blood coming out of my mouth. He walked slower so that I wouldn't shake so much.

"Put me down," I demanded.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you."

"Stop saying that!" I tried to get force into my voice but I couldn't. Suddenly, he sat down on some steps and stared at me, his eyes glittering.

"Can you hear my heart?" I listened closely for it, but I couldn't hear the steady thump.

"W-why isn't your heart beating," I stammered, frightened, still cradled in his arms.

"Can you feel it?" he asked, putting my hand to his chest. I shook my head. He gently sat me on his lap and pressed my head against his chest.

"Can you feel it now?"

At that very moment, I realized that miracles were possible in this world.

My heart started to speed up and his heart sped up too, beating exactly in sync to mine.

"When you were healing me from those bullets, my heart just… stopped. And when it started to beat, it was abnormally fast, even though I wasn't nervous or anything. When you cried over me, my heart started to slow down and cry on its own, although I wasn't crying. And… I don't know what to say when you say I don't love you. My heart adopted your beat, what more can I prove?" There was dead silence we both stared at each other.

"Yani… I… I need you to do me a favor."

"What?" I questioned my mouth dry.

For the first time since I met him and for the first time in Mokuba's memory, a tear traced down Seto Kaiba's cheek.

"Fall in love me!" he said fiercely, brushing away the tear while more poured down his face. "Fall in love with me as I have fallen irrevocably, severely, hopelessly in love with you."

"Seto, I—"

"Say my name again."

"Seto…" He took my face in his hands.

"Again," he whispered.

"Seto…"


	26. Trial

Seto's POV

I kissed her. I couldn't and wouldn't have done anything else. I felt her hands tangle into my hair as I brought her closer to me, letting her tongue slid across my bottom lip before I opened my mouth. When our tongues battled for dominance, I let her win and skim her tongue over the roof of my mouth.

She tasted like strawberries dipped in chocolate. How she had managed to taste like that, I do not know but the taste was absolutely addicting. We finally broke apart when Yani started to cough. She covered her mouth with her hand and when she finished, her hand was splattered with gold. I took that hand and pressed it to my cheek, smiling as I looked down at her.

"Seto… it's dirty," she murmured.

"Whatever." I kissed her again, this time tasting her blood as it mingled in with the taste of strawberries in chocolate. Instead of getting used to the taste, I became even more aware of it, truly savoring her lips on mine. When we broke apart again, she was laughing.

"What's so funny?" I demanded, while she laughed weakly. Standing up, I started to walk back to the mansion.

"Nothing," she laughed and licked a tear that was still on my face.

"Hn."

"I love it when you say that."

"Why?"

"It makes me feel special because I know you have more to say to me than that. But you say that to everybody else and you mean it."

I smiled.

"You told me that before."

"I did?" she asked, surprised and coughing again. "When?"

"When you were sick. Right before you knocked out."

"Oh really? What else did I say?"

"You asked me to kiss you."

"WOW. I must have been delirious." I gently knocked my head against hers as punishment as she laughed again.

"I wanna walk now," she insisted suddenly, struggling.

"No. I think you broke a couple of ribs."

"I'm used to that. Let me walk."

"Go to sleep, Yani."

"I just woke up!"

"It's actually close to ten o'clock."

"What? Really?"

"No. It's eight." She rolled her eyes at me as I laughed at her credulity. Another two minutes past as she lay quietly in my arms.

"Let's go to school."

"Are you serious?"

"I want to see Yami."

"Tomorrow," I promised. "You have to rest today."

"But—"

"I want to spend time with you today." She paused, clearly struggling between the two choices which made me happy beyond words.

"Fine. Let's go home."

"Go to sleep now."

"Kiss me first."

"No."

"What?" She started coughed, spraying gold blood all over my chest as I stopped for a moment to let her rest.

"Overuse cheapens love, slave."

By the time we arrived at the mansion, Yani was sleeping peacefully and no longer coughing. A few blocks ago, I had seen purple sparks flicker over her chest where I suspected her ribs were broken, which probably meant she had healed herself unconsciously. That would explain the purple sparks. I slowly made my way up to my bedroom so that I could tuck Yani in and call the doctor just in case.

Of course, the gods would let that happen.

"Set the girl down, mortal." I froze at the sound of a voice that I had never heard in my life. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a slim man with short, sleek auburn hair dressed in a white mailman uniform of some kind. In his hand was a bronze pen with what looked like two snakes wrapped around them. Oh yes, did I forget to mention he was hovering over the ground?

"The other gods and goddesses will be here in a minute to conduct the trial," he said, looking at his watch. Suddenly, his pen elongated to a wooden staff with two metal snakes on the end.

"Aren't those snakes supposed to be real?" I blurted because I couldn't help but asking. The god looked at me with humor glinting in his eyes.

"No time for jokes, human. But Queen Hera dislikes snakes so I didn't bring them." There was a dull roar behind me and twelve other people materialized into the room.

"She's sleeping, Lord Zeus," Hermes, the god with the caduceus, said.

"Good." Lord Zeus, the god who stated this, had slate gray hair and a slate gray beard. His eyes were dark blue and I felt the electricity in the air when he spoke. "Everybody will speak in this cursed tongue for the sake of the mortal."

"If I may, brother?" Lord Zeus nodded at a god with dark brown hair and a thick fisherman's beard. When his sea green eyes shone out of his tanned face, I presumed it was Poseidon that I was speaking to. "Listen carefully mortal, for I will tell you the story of that child behind you, or what she says the story is. Yani was jealous that Aphrodite spread her attentions everywhere. Thus, she made up a story that Ares had raped her. Obviously, he was upset and brought the matter before the gods so that we would judge. During the session, Yani admitted that she had made up the story. Aphrodite gave her the punishment of being reborn until someone loved her. The time has come to judge this."

"Mortal, be careful of your words, be truthful, be respectful, but above all, be wise." I turned to the speaker and I was met with dark olive green eyes that held intelligence so profound, that I couldn't imagine what this goddess would be like in Monopoly. Suddenly, she chuckled, her pinstripe dress suit rustling. "Yes, I suppose you, Yani, and I can play Monopoly after this is over."

"Enough foolishness, Athena," Dionysus said drily, one of the gods I had met before. Once again, he was clad in an extremely stylish party suit with his hair carefully gelled back. "We're discussing the fate of my creation. I can hardly be jovial in this atmosphere."

"Answer this question truthfully, child." I turned to a pretty brown eyed woman with long brown hair tied back into a French braid. She smiled at me kindly but I could sense cold tension in her face. "Do you love that girl?"

"Her name is Yani." Did I just say that to Queen Hera? I was shocked by my own daring. "And yes, I do love her, with my whole heart."

"A very clichéd line, don't you think, sister?" Apollo whispered to Artemis, winking at me.

"Honestly, Apollo. It's not like your poetry is any better."

"How about this? The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of and thus, I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach."

"Did you make that up?" Artemis asked, mildly impressed.

"Yes," he most definitely lied, keeping a straight face.

"Let me handle this, father." She was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. And totally not blond as other people thought she would be. Her slightly tanned face contrasted greatly with her light brown hair, which was streaked with red highlights. As she walked towards me, her lithe, slim body and long legs swayed seductively.

But for some reason, I just looked at her with apprehension and curiosity. I couldn't bring myself to like her, or even be attracted to her. Maybe it was because I knew I had my perfect girl waiting to be prosecuted behind me. As if sensing my thoughts, Aphrodite's eyes narrowed and her lips curled up into a striking sneer.

"Now do you really love her? Or are you just attracted to that beautiful body of hers?" She trailed her hands down my chest, encircling them around my waist. "Because if you are, I'm sure I can give you a better time with MY body than hers." I felt something pushing into my veins, forcing my head to look at Aphrodite's body and face. But then, her perfume hit my nose. It was too strong, too sweet, too unlike Yani's natural scent. Firmly grabbing her by the wrists, I pried her off my body and made her take a step back.

"I'm in love with HER, not her body." I let disgust pass quickly through my eyes before I locked up my emotions again.

"Hey, loser. Watch what you're doing." I looked up at the man and I immediately knew who it was. The man who had haunted so many of Yani's nightmares.

"Ares," I said coolly, my eyes probably frozen glaciers of death.

"I don't like how you say my name, mortal." I took a step forward, looking around at all the gods and goddesses in the room.

"I. Love. Her. My heart adopted her beat. My body and my heart and my soul and even my mind yearn for her. I first liked her because she saved Mokuba. Now, I love her because she saved me from something I didn't know I lacked. Please, let her stay here. With me."

The gods and goddesses were silent, as if pondering this thought.

"He could actually mean it." A goddess with daisies woven into her straw colored hair spoke. "I mean, he's not wheat. But he still seems honest."

"And he's not a machine," a man that looked strangely like Da Vinci on crutches thundered. "But I can still sense he means well."

"All of you are pathetic," Ares sneered. "You decide to fall for the little twit's previous claim even though she admitted that she lied?"

"Of course she lied, Ares, but in your favor." Before that voice had spoken, I had never experienced terror as numbing as what I felt then. I whirled around and stared into two individual black holes that seemed to suck the happiness right out of me. His black hair fell into his eyes, and his pale face seemed drained of all blood.

He could have easily passed for Yani's brother. They had the same shaped face and the same creamy skin texture. Both their eyes were shaped into perfect almonds, framed by long lashes. And he was maybe about my age, not old like most of the other gods. With his black skinny jeans and black under armor, he looked like any teenager. If you discounted his happiness sucking eyes.

"I will tell you the story from the beginning, brother-to-be." He smiled when he called me his brother.

"Yes. I do believe that you love her. Listen. On a winter solstice several millennia ago, a wolf was jumping around at our party on Olympus. But while it was chasing a leaf, it managed to knocked over a table of wine dedicated for all the gods and draw blood from my hand." He held his hand up, showing a small scar. "He apologized very prettily so we let him go. Only, when he went to lick up the wine off the ground, my blood mixed with the wine a child that looked exactly like me arose from the wine. Immediately, the wolf howled, pledging he and all his offspring to this new master.

Now, this girl was beautiful, more beautiful than Aphrodite could ever hope to be. So Aphrodite spent her time waiting for the lass to make one, tiny, mistake. And Yani being the naïve little girl she was, did make a mistake. A man appealed to her pure heart and asked to make a girl fall in love with her. Yani complied. Of course, this was the tiny excuse that Venus needed to make Yani's life hell. Wrapping Ares' tiny little brain around her finger, Aphrodite manipulated him to rape her. Then, everything went accordingly as Yani told the council of her troubles, but retracted her accusation when she realized she was never going to win. How could she? Yani had disrupted the calm family life that Hera so yearned for. And Zeus could only follow what she did. Tell me brother, doesn't that seem like Yani?"

"HADES!" Ares roared, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?"

"Brother, do you know this for sure?" Poseidon asked gruffly.

"Yes." Hades didn't bother to look at the sea god but focused on Yani's sleeping face instead. "I have asked the Three Fates and I have questioned the dead. They know, and thus, I know."

"Eros! Now!" Aphrodite screamed as a figure materialized next to me and scratched my arm with a deadly looking arrow. As soon as the sharp lead tip broke my skin, I could feel something dying and deadening in my veins. When I glanced at Yani, I knew what was happening.

My love for her was dying.

"Don't fight it, sweetheart," Aphrodite cooed. "It'll all be over soon. After this, I'll find you a very pretty, successful girl. Personally." My eyes widened as I tried to move my frozen body.

Fight it.

Think about her. Everything she's done for you. She saved Mokuba. She saved you from the bullets. You love her

Why do I love her?

When did I start loving her?

I don't remember. My memories with her are starting to go.

She's your life! Why don't you remember?

It's the poison.

Fight it.

I wrenched my head to see Yani. Already, the burst of happiness from just seeing her face was disappearing. As if she felt my heart being ripped in two, a single tear traced down her cheek.

A single tear.

You love her because she cried.

It wasn't a water drop on her cheek, it was a tear.

Remember? She cried silently, and in her sleep.

You saved her from crying like that the rest of her life.

You saved her.

Fight it.

You know why you love her.

Just as the poison was about to reach my heart, it slowed. My heart beat once, and then again, and again. The lead in my veins started to recede.

"Brother, do you still like her?" Hades asked, enough sadness and hopelessness in his eyes to last every person in the whole world.

"Of course not," Aphrodite gloated, "Didn't you see his face?"

"You weren't supposed to alter the boy's feelings!" Athena said with clenched teeth. "Now the trial doesn't work!"

"Brother, do you like Yani?" Hades asked desperately. I slowly shook my head.

"I don't like her." Hades looked away with tears in his eyes.

"I love her. And I'll love her for eternity." I lifted my hand and saw gold blood dripping out of my wound, mixed with something that looked like lead. I showed it to the gods.

"Gold blood, like Yani's." I smiled, happiness made by love coursing through my veins again. Turning around, I touched Yani's shoulder.

"Wake up, Yani. Your family is here to see you."

"Eh?" Rubbing her eyes, she sat up slowly, coughing as she did so. I gently propped her up and kissed her on the forehead. But before I could turn around, a voice boomed forward.

"The trial is over. The human clearly loves her. Court adjourned."

When I turned around, all of them were gone.

I felt her slender fingers wrap around mine as she yawned and nuzzled my side. I smiled down at her and ran my free hand over her head, making her purr into my ribs. Slowly, I lowered myself onto the bed, tucking her to my side.

"I love you, Yani." I buried my face into her hair and inhaled her heady scent, desperately wanting her to say the same thing back.

"I… I know." I frowned.

We had stuff to work on.


	27. See From Your Eyes

Yani's POV

"Kaiba?" I asked, standing in front of the big desk where he usually worked.

"It's Seto." He looked up with a slight smile on his face.

"Seto?" I corrected, twisting my fingers behind my back, "D-did you really mean it when you said you wanted to marry me?" His smile faded.

"Come here, sweetheart." He pulled me onto his lap and wound his arms around my waist. Even though I was sitting on his lap, I still felt so small in his arms; I barely came up to his chin.

"Do you think I didn't mean it?"

I looked down at my hands.

"I… I still d-don't think… you mean it…" As much as I wanted to say he meant it, I couldn't. I wanted to be completely honest with him so he could be honest with me. "You don't have to do this for me, Seto. My name is clear at Olympus. I can go back and never bother you again." Seto sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair with my body still encased in his bigger frame.

"I don't have to," he agreed, "but I desperately want to. If I could, I would marry you now, but your birth certificate says your seventeen, λύκος μου. So I have to wait until then." There was a moment of silence as I willed my heart to believe what he was saying.

"You cried yesterday."

"Hn."

"For me." I looked up and saw him looking down at me with so much love in his eyes that I stopped breathing. Slowly, he cupped my throat with his hand and kissed me quietly.

Ice coffee with mint. As those burning lips gently pressed against mine, that was all I could taste. All too quickly, he broke the kiss.

"You have to breathe, Yani." He chuckled as I complained at the loss of his lips touching mine. Lightly, he skimmed his lips over my own, teasing me to the point where I growled. But before he could give me that mind numbing kiss I ached for, he looked at his watch and stood up, holding me so I didn't touch the ground.

"We have to go pick up Mokuba," he said, setting me down.

"I still don't understand why you didn't let me go to school today."

"I was feeling extremely jealous today. I didn't want to share you, even with your friends." He gently took my hand in his, as if mine were fragile and breakable, and pulled me through the house to the front door.

"Here, put on your shoes." Bending down, he put my foot in a Converse and tied the laces, repeating the same for the other foot. Then, taking one of his jackets, he slid my arms through it and zipped it up.

"But it's warm outside!"

"It's also raining." Sure enough, when Seto opened the door, it was lightly drizzling.

"I like walking in the rain," I retorted as I started to unzip my jacket.

"We're taking the limo."

"Not this time. You've probably never walked in the rain." He sighed and zipped up my jacket again.

"We can walk but you have to wear your jacket."

"This is YOUR jacket."

"Anything I have is yours, λύκος μου" He stated it so simply, without any dramatic gestures, that I almost believed him. Just this once. When we walked outside, he pulled up my hood and took my hand.

"That's not the point of walking in the rain," I sighed as I took off my hood. Quickly, I took off my jacket and flung it over my shoulder. Pulling Seto along with me, I started to run the six blocks that separated our school and home before he could make me put on my jacket again. Both of us ran in silence until we reached the steps of the school, ending up getting there about ten minutes before school was finished.

I closed my eyes, just enjoying the light misting of rain, letting it wash away all my doubt and exhaustion. Suddenly, the rain was blocked out and I opened my eyes to glare at Seto.

"You still don't believe me." He was looking at me with an expression of pain and sadness on his face. "You don't believe that I love you."

"That's not true." He smiled bitterly.

"I wish I could undo the damage that was done unto you, Yani. And I can. But you won't let me. I never told you this, but I'm NOT LIKE YOU. When I take what little sadness I can from you, it hurts for a little bit but that's it. The happiness that I find in you neutralizes the terror; and the happiness is never ending." He took my face into his hands.

"Don't make me cry again, Yani." The unshed tears in his sea glass eyes glistened in the weak light. "I've never cried apart from the day I was born. It's bad for my male ego."

"You…" I shook my face out of his hands and looked at the ground. Suddenly, fierce lips were molded against my own and I was pressed flush against a body so warm, it melted some of the eternal cold in the pit of my stomach. And he wasn't dominating, like every single guy I ever met was, and he was the dominant TYPE. He was so gentle, almost to the point of submissive. Just then, the bell rang. Reluctantly, Seto let go of my waist and quickly kissed my forehead.

"Let's go find Mokuba." He smiled, reaching for my hand. We entered the school just as a stream of students burst out.

"Yani! You're here!" Mokuba yelled and crashed into me, knocking me to the ground. Almost immediately, Mokuba's weight was gone as Seto threw him off me and I had enough breath to start coughing again.

"Are you ok?" Seto picked me up and waited as I doubled over, coughing.

"Yeah." I grinned after I stopped coughing. "Nice to see you too Mokuba."

"I'm so sorry, Yani! I didn't know you were that light! Seto is really solid so you can tackle him and he'll just stand there! I'm so sorry!" He gave a nervous laugh. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll strip Seto for you while he's sleeping! Or sometimes he sleeps naked anyway so once and I took pictures of it! I'll give them—" Seto clapped a hand over Mokuba's mouth.

"Mokuba you're starting to ramble. I'm fine." Then my eyes widened as I understood what he had actually said. "What the hell Mokuba? Why do you keep pictures of that?"

"Ummm… excuse me. Are you Yani?" There was a pretty girl about Mokuba's height standing in front of me. She helped me up.

"I'm Aya."

"Nice to meet you, Aya. Has Mokuba talked about me?"

"Y-yeah… and I'm really glad you're going out with him because you make him so happy!" She bowed formally to me as I started coughing again. Very hard. For a long time.

"Sweetheart. I'm his sister."

"Wait you're Aya?" Seto asked a shocked and blushing Aya.

"Y-yes…" Seto smirked evilly while looking at his equally stunned younger brother.

"Well Aya," Seto said, patting her head, "Yani and I have to go now but if you ever want Mokuba's baby pictures, just ask me."

"Time to go, Yani," Seto said and held out his hand. I willingly took it and pulled him to Mokuba so we could go home.

When we got home, I dragged Seto into his room and shut the door. Immediately, I took his leather choker with the silver moon and exchanged it for my silver wolf chain. Seto raised an eyebrow after I was done and pulled me on the bed next to him, waiting for me to explain.

"Tell the boys in the locker room your girlfriend gave that to you. Maybe they'll stop making fun of you."

School was… interesting… the next day. Obviously, people had seen Seto with me so a lot of people were staring, whispering, and pointing. The stuff that fan girls do. I didn't mind it and neither did he. We were both used to being pointed at; he for being gorgeous and I for being a freak. He didn't kiss me though because he knew if he did that, a fan girl riot might actually start.

So nothing happened until gym when I was in the locker room getting changed. Ever since Seto had notified the teachers that he was taking care of me, which I was still unwilling about, he was with me where ever I went, including the girls' locker room. Of course, he was blindfolded, and sitting in a corner until all the girls were done changing. The girls still hadn't gotten used to his presence and were giggling and pointing at his serene face.

"Umm, hey Yani." I didn't bother to turn around while I was taking off my shirt. It was Mizuki, one of the girls that… disliked me.

"Sup, Mizuki," I drawled and I felt Seto stiffen in the corner. He knew all about Mizuki.

"Well… I was just wondering where you got that leather necklace. It's really pretty."

"I'm not sure, I got it as a Valentine's gift."

"Oh… from whom?"

"Oh, you know," I waved my hand vaguely and then gave my best Hade's smile. She took a step back and I knew Hade's death smile was imprinted on my face. Thank you, brother. I felt a tremor in the ground and I knew Hades had heard.

"See you outside for the four mile run!" I cheerfully skipped away to Seto, who was waiting for me in the corner.

It was a really beautiful day today. The sun was shining but there was also a cool breeze blowing. In other words, it was a good day for the dreaded, fifty-percent-of-your-grade, four mile run. This was why I never failed gym because for me, four miles were nothing. But I was worried about Seto. Sure, he ran yesterday with me without breaking a sweat, but that was only six blocks. He was stretching beside me, actually wearing the gym uniform, which were some color shorts and a sleeveless tee-shirt, which color I didn't know either. That was probably what got attention from the jocks.

"Yo, Kaiba. Actually planning to do the run this year?" The group of jocks snickered. Seto nodded curtly but didn't answer, continuing to stretch.

"Hey! You got a new necklace! Awwww! And this one has a pretty wolf charm!" Another jock reached out to touch the necklace and then looked at the bracelet hanging on Seto's wrist.

"It matches the bracelet! Who'd you get it from, your girlfriend?" By this time the whole crowd around us was either laughing or staring in curiosity at the necklace. Instead of glaring at them, he turned to look at me.

"I know you can keep up with me, right?"

I rolled my eyes at the understatement.

"Good." Seto nodded, smiling softly. "I'll tell you where the road curves." Then he faced the jock that had made the last comment, a blonde Japanese-American, Blake.

"I challenge you to a race. First one to finish the four mile run wins." His fan girls gasped. Stupid fan girls.

"You're on. But if I win, I get to date Yani."

"No."

"What? Afraid of putting the stakes to high?"

"It's not that. Just the thought of betting her with an idiot like you is likely to make me retch."

"Then if I win, I get your company."

"Deal," Seto said tersely and started to walk to the starting line, herding me along with him.

"Why did you bet so high?" I asked, genuinely curious. Seto stopped to face me, and then rubbed my head.

"Do you think he could beat me?"

I snarled.

"He doesn't stand a chance against you."

"Then don't worry about it," Seto said, smiling and giving me a light touch on the cheek.

The boys started first and then the girls started right after. When the coach's whistle blew, Blake started off at a good, steady pace, easily out distancing Seto who walked a few yards and then stopped to wait for me. As soon as the whistle blew, I leaped forward and was next to Seto a couple of bounds.

He smiled at me and for the first time I could recall, I felt a strange burst of happiness seeing that smile directed at me. It made my heart speed up and I knew he could feel it.

"Ready to go?" Seto asked, as most of the girls started to pass by us.

"Yup."

"Don't strain yourself to hard. You're still recovering."

"'Kay." We started to run just as Blake was completing his first half mile.

Like I said, the jock didn't stand a chance. Later, I heard the coach describe our run 'impossibility with a big scoop of stupid-for-attempting'. All I remember was keeping the same easy, loping pace that the wolves trained me to carry. One that swallowed miles and miles and miles before pitching to a stop. The wind streaming through my hair and the sunshine on my face was wonderful. The only thing I heard was Seto's heart. Or mine. Beating as one and indiscernible from the other. I don't even remember when we passed Blake. I think it was somewhere between our first and second mile.

Seto's quiet reserve of strength and endurance which a CEO must have kept him flat out running three and a half miles without stopping to rest or even jog. But on the last half he slowed to a walk, breathing slightly harder than normal and sweating.

"That was impressive." Seto cast a sidelong glance at me.

"Not nearly as impressive as your pace. How many miles can you eat like that?"

"Roughly about a hundred before I get tired." He nodded, not looking surprised at all.

"λύκος μου," he said and smirked. I rolled my eyes and looked around. I think Blake was just passing the midpoint of his second mile. Everybody else was somewhere on their first. As I felt Seto directing me slightly to the left, which was the start of another track curve, I couldn't help but feel every single one of the cells in my body cry out for his touch.

I felt his consciousness go blank before he did, just slid right out if his mind. He stumbled a few steps and then fell to his knees, holding his head, his skin paler than normal. Almost immediately, the screams of his fan girls pierced through the air, making me wince as I reached towards Seto.

"Seto, are you—"

"I'm fine, sweetheart." Seto continued to clutch his head, particularly his temples. "I just… ran myself too hard I guess." I pulled him up and checked him for any cuts. Seeing that he had one cut on his face from falling, I let my tongue run across his cheek. Smiling, although he was in obvious pain, he gently kissed me on the tip of my nose, an almost imperceptible movement that couldn't be seen from far away.

"God, your heart is beating so fast," Seto chuckled as he let himself be led to the coach around the rest of the track, finishing the four mile run two miles before Blake.

"DID I SAY YOU GUYS COULD STOP RUNNING?" the coach roared to the onslaught of fan girls who ran to help their 'poor hubby'. Reluctantly, the fan girls returned to the track as the coach made his way over to us.

"Mr. Kaiba! How could you be so careless with your body?" the coach yelled only slightly quieter than he did before.

"I'm fine," Seto barked, as imperious as the coach himself, "I think I know when I'm in serious danger."

"What if you had hurt yourself?" shrieked the excited man, raising his blood pressure by a few bars. Seto stood stoic, still holding his head.

"I wouldn't sue. I am in no need of money." Seto responded icily.

"No," I cut in, facing Seto, "you should have stopped if you were feeling too ill. You were miles ahead of Blake, but you insisted on going on. Your mistreated body makes a bad temple for your soul. You were stupid." Unlike with the coach's criticisms, Seto completely deflated with mine. How he managed to look heartbroken with two hands clutched to his head and his eyes shut tight evades me.

"Come on." I blew out a breath. "Let's get you to the doctor."

"You know," the coach interrupted, stopping us before we took another step, "you two are something strange. Never have I seen a more beautiful couple, but that's not the reason I'm amazed. Mr. Kaiba, you guided Yani perfectly around the whole track without a single word, only with touches to her hand." Both of us cringed at the word 'couple'.

"Uhhhh coach? Can you not say that with Seto's fan girls around?" I requested and started to lead Seto into the school.

"Yani… where are you?"

"I'm right here, Seto." He didn't respond but instead, bolted up straight and reached his hand out towards me.

"Seto?" I took his ice cold hands and felt my heart starting to beat faster. "What's wrong?"

"Is… it wouldn't happen to be something is covering my eyes, right?" I brushed my fingertips over his fluttering eyelids.

"No, there's nothing on your eyes." I didn't know what was wrong with his eyes because I couldn't see but the coach gasped in shock. I guess the light had reflected off Seto's normally cerulean eyes to illuminate a color that wasn't quite… cerulean.

"Mr. Kaiba! What… what happened to your eyes?"

"What's wrong with them?" I asked sharply, whirling to face the coach.

"I... can't see anything."


	28. Golden Haze

Seto's POV

It was all I could do to stop her from cutting her wrist right then and offering it to my mouth.

"Stop it, Yani. It won't work." Already, red lines on her wrist were forming where she had tried to scratch out the blood minutes ago. I was holding her arms far apart, marveling at the struggle she put up to willingly hurt herself because of me. She wriggled and tugged against my hands but to no avail. I wasn't going to let her hurt herself. I would never let her hurt herself for me again. The bullets were the last time.

"NO!" she screamed, the birds around us shrieking with her. A flock of those birds descended around us, whirling feathers and brushing wings against my body, screeching and cawing in her pain. "You can't be blind. NO!" She arched her throat and wailed a long, melancholy howl into the sky. The birds screeched again and took off. From far away, two wolves answered her call. Around us, the kids running covered their ears and yelped in pain and shock. Even the coach covered his ears and took a few steps back.

"Make it stop!" he yelled, flinching at whatever sound was making him suffer. All of a sudden, I remembered the last time this had happened. On vacation, Mokuba had run in, covering his ears, telling Yani to stop… something. But I couldn't hear it. I could only hear the sobbing howl that seemed to fill every inch of the universe.

"Yani. Yani, shhhhh, it's okay." I slowly felt my way to her face, and stroked her cheek. "Yani, you're hurting everybody." And gradually, she quieted, her wailing howls turning into short, keening barks, and then to silence. Suddenly, she ripped herself away from me.

"What do you mean 'it won't work'?"

I regretted that slight slip in words.

"It's because of me isn't it?" she whispered, guilt etched onto her face. And before I could reply, she was running away. I wasn't sure how I could tell but I think I saw a faint outline of her as she wheeled away, entering the building from the gym entrance.

"Yani! Wait!" I felt my heart thud painfully, unsure whether it was mine or hers. "Yani!" I screamed and lurched after her. I followed that faint trail of gold in my mind and entered the building. Then, I felt like I was going through hell. Crashing into walls and doors and other students, I followed that golden trail in my mind, often calling her name. Slowly getting stronger, the gold mist led me out the front entrance of the school and into the street. Cars screeched to a stop and honked at me as I staggered across the street, not caring if I got hit. Finally, I found myself at a small park, where the strength of her aurora was the strongest.

"YANI! COME BACK HERE!"

There was no response.

"YANI!"

I thought I felt the golden haze twitch slightly to the left, high into the air.

"Listen to me, Yani! You probably think that I think you're not the only thing that could make me give up coffee. That I don't love you. That I don't think you are wonderful and perfect and brilliant and pure in EVERY SINGLE FUCKING WAY! But fine! DON'T BELIEVE ME!"

I felt the golden vapor start to move away.

"I love you. You hear me? I LOVE YOU, YOU WONDERFUL, CRAZY, RADIANT, BEAUTIFUL…"

It stopped moving.

I was crying by now, the drops cascading down my face. The sun that I couldn't see danced on my face but did nothing to soothe my breaking heart or to warm me as I shivered as if it were winter.

"I LOVE YOU!" I screamed again. "WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?" The golden haze moved directly over me just as tree branches rustled. I assumed she was in a tree branch high up in the air.

"Aphrodite poisoned me. With Eros's lead arrow."

"WHAT?" It was like the explosion of a bomb. Birds started to sing again, breaking out of their silent state.

"Do you know what happened?" I took out a pocket knife and stabbed it into my right hand. Another golden stream, somehow different from Yani's, appeared in my black mind, where my hand should have been. "I fought it off. Because I loved you. I LOVE YOU! I don't care if I ever have to see again. If I have you, that's enough. If I can pick you up while you're sleeping, that's enough. If I can—" All of a sudden, Yani was beside me, licking the wound in the palm of my right hand. I jerked her into a hug, almost crushing her small bones with an embrace that I never wanted to break. As I sobbed into her hair, my heart gradually slowed down and started to beat at a normal tempo.

"…can heal yourself," she was saying. I hadn't heard her.

"What?" I asked, my voiced muffled, unwilling to let go of her.

"You can heal yourself now. Try. Just will your flesh and skin to knit back together again."

Imagining my wound closing, I felt a cool sensation in my wound before my concentration faltered. When I tried again, the pain eased a little bit before my concentration broke again. I couldn't put my mind together. I don't think I had ever been that tired in my whole entire life. Then, I felt myself being lowered to the ground and a hand that I immediately recognized as Yani's on my forehead. Fishing into my pocket, she pulled out my phone and dialed a phone number.

"Yes. Dr. Fujji? Seto collapsed again…"

"Don't you dare leave me, Yani," I mumbled, trying to form my sentences clearly. "We're not done with this talk." As I felt her lips flutter against my throat, I knew she had understood.

The sunlight was so damn annoying. I didn't understand why it couldn't hold off a couple more minutes until I had fully rested. I continued to complain in my head for a couple of minutes when I realized that the rest of the room was pitch dark.

"Mr. Kaiba?" I turned my head to right to where the voice was coming from. If I concentrated hard, I could just make out a very faint magenta aurora of a person.

"Yes?" I answered the doctor in an irritated voice. "Can you tell Yani to come here before I take a knife and carve out my heart?"

"Hey, I'm right here."

Oh. So that's what the gold was.

"Mr. Kaiba, didn't I tell you working too hard would make you short out? Taking a vacation just one week every year isn't going to help much if you work every day of the week. It is probable that your eyesight will return to you slowly. But it will take time. During that time, I need you to rest so you don't permanently lose your eyesight. I prescribed some…"

I was already pulling back the covers and fighting to sit up, realizing I was in my boxers.

"Mr. Kaiba!" came the exasperated voice of the doctor, "Did you hear anything I said?"

"I don't need my eyesight!" I snapped, testing my feet on the floor and standing up to face Yani. She took a step forward and I caught her arm and pulled her to me.

"I just need you."

Her mouth collided with mine, as I pulled her into a searing kiss, my body aching for her, feeling I hadn't kissed her for an eternity. Once again, her strawberries-dipped-in-chocolate taste pervaded my submissive mouth, driving out everything in my head. And it felt perfectly right, her body fitting exactly into every contour of my body, my hand tightening in her sweet-smelling hair as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

When the doctor coughed slightly, she broke the kiss and buried her face in my chest, the heat on her cheeks radiating into my bare skin.

"Well… yes. I'm happy that you're having a healthy relationship, Mr. Kaiba. I assume that you know the birds and the bees talk so I will skip that for now. Your prescription is on the table. I'll… just let myself out."

I had heard what he said but didn't say anything. Right then, I was too preoccupied trying to materialize the jumble of molten gold in my mind to a reasonable figure of Yani.

"What… are you looking at?" Yani said and I could tell she was frowning by her voice.

Slowly, her irises materialized first, pulling together golden dots to make a pure gold pool. But… I knew it wasn't gold. I could sense another color, maybe lavender, for confusion. Not stopping to think over this new piece of information, I broadened my concentration to her face. Piece by piece, her body came together, shining gold. Only her face was vague. With a slight jerk, I understood why Yani hadn't been able to draw my face in that red notebook so long ago. Taking her hand and placing it on my face, I cupped my other hand around her cheek and gently started to outline the features of her face. Her high eyebrows, beautiful nose, frowning mouth, and last of all, her closed eyelids.

"Smile for me," I murmured skimming my mouth over hers. Automatically, the gold figure of Yani intensified in brightness as she smiled with an expression of pure happiness on her face.

"Ohhhhh…" Understanding clicked in her eyes as she figured out what I was doing. She wrapped her hands around my wrist.

"So then… can you see?" she asked, a hopeful light in her eyes that made the gold even more luminous. I took her hands and slipped them around my neck.

"In gold," I answered, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Everything about you is gold. As bright as the sun."


	29. Running Away

Yani's POV

"FUCK THIS!" Seto roared as his right shoulder banged violently against another metal pole. "FUCK THE WORLD THAT METAL POLES EVER HAD TO EXSIST!" I had never laughed this much at one time in my entire life. "Yani," he whimpered crowding closer to me, hoping he wouldn't bang into another pole, "Can we please just take the limo?"

"Nope!" I replied, smiling as Seto barely avoided running into another pole, this time wooden.

"Please? This hurts…" to make a point, he took one of my hands and put it on his bruised shoulder.

"Hush, slave," I murmured almost absent mindedly and buried my face into the crook of his shoulder to breathe his fierce scent. It was another cloudy day; I already felt sluggish and lazy, sapped of my strength. In my head, clouds whirled, mocking me and taking away the glory of the early morning sun. All of a sudden, his demeanor changed and he wrapped his arms around my waist, perching his chin on top of my head.

"I know it's cloudy…" he murmured, kissing my temple. Scowling and surprised that he had noticed, I purposely wrenched myself from him and strode ahead, casually sidestepping a tree. He smirked and walked swiftly to me. Just as he was about to slam into the tree, he gasped and jerked to a stop. Cautiously, he stretched out a hand in front of him, feeling the rough bark of the oak he almost ran into.

"Ahhh…" I said, understanding how his sight worked. Seto looked at me with wide eyes, wondering how he saw the tree in his vision.

"It's alive," I stated simply and was impressed when Seto's eyes clicked with understanding a second later. Smart human.

"Oh, I see," he exclaimed, and then frowned. "No pun intended." I turned and continued to walk to school, slowing down a little so that Seto could catch up with me.

We walked into school and between the both of us, managed to stumble into the principal's office. He was on the phone when we walked in but he hung up quickly and bolted to us.

"No, I'm not going to sue," Seto said brusquely, earning a relieved sigh from the principal. "But since I can't see, I would like some schedule changes."

"Of course, Mr. Kaiba. Which classes would you like to switch out of?"

"I would like to take Independent Musical Theory, like I did last year, have P.E. replaced with frees, and…" he listed his, or rather, our, entire schedule and basically replaced all his classes with frees.

"Ummm… Mr. Kaiba… you just replaced all your core classes with free hours…" See what I mean?

"Do you have a problem with that?" he snapped, almost biting off the principal's hand.

"With you? O-of course not! B-but Yani here is c-currently fai-ailing most of her c-lasses so…" Here, the principal resorted to making whimpering sounds as Seto towered over him. I could almost hear the sweat running down the principal's face.

Before the poor human wet his pants, I grabbed Seto by the front of the shirt. All of a sudden, his face changed from absolutely deadly to utterly confused as I dragged him out the door.

"Yea, yea principal… I could pass those classes if they were important. Catchya later." I felt the principal open his mouth for a lecture but snap it shut when he saw Seto's face. Yes, there lived terrifying horrors. Dragging him into the independent music room, I locked the door and sighed. I was lucky that we had arrived here earlier than anybody else, guaranteeing that we wouldn't be seen. Now, if only lunch would be normal…

My thoughts were interrupted by a note being played on what sounded like a piano. Sure enough, when I focused on where Seto was, he was sitting in front of a Grand Piano, touching a different key this time.

"Can you play?" I asked sarcastically. "Oh wait, stupid question." He smiled and sat down on the wooden bench.

"Do you play?"

I grew quiet.

"I haven't… in a long time. Since, you know… That's why I was so surprised when you sang. You reminded me… of being under that night sky again." Looking up from under my eyelashes, I caught him studying me. After awhile, he faced the keyboard and beckoned me over. When I walked over to him, he pulled me onto the bench.

"What do you know how to play?" he questioned simply, leaning his head on the piano.

"Nothing you know. Mortals and their music." He laughed quietly and took his hands off the keyboard, gesturing for me to start playing. I closed my eyes and felt the steady beat of the earth setting the tempo. Then, I drew the left hand's piece out of the whirling Arctic winds, disorganized, confused, lost. And for my left hand, I played what the stars told me to play, a very high, pure melody. When I stopped concentrating, the look on Seto's face scared the crap out of me. He looked like he was brainwashed, his mouth open and his eyes glazed over.

"Seto? SETO! SNAP OUT OF IT!" He shook his head and some of the fog lifted from his eyes.

"It's like… siren music," he managed to mumble out. I started to play "Baby" by Justin Bieber. The rest of the fog lifted from his eyes as he quickly grabbed my hands from the keyboard. "I thought you didn't know any mortal music!" he said, wincing slightly.

"Justin is the son of Aphrodite and one of the half mortal decedents of the Muses. He's not mortal."

"Oh." I smiled at him and put my hands back on the keyboard.

"Hey can I ask you something?" I managed to blurt out, as I was played what would be the autumn leaves falling from the sky.

"Sure," Seto said, alert. His tune didn't seem to mess with his senses as much.

"Why… ?" I rushed out and instantly blushed. He raised one of his eyebrows and smirked. Leaning forward, he brushed his nose against my jaw line.

"Why, do you want me to be dominant?" I faltered in playing and stopped all together when he kissed me lightly on the temple again. My heart started to race and Seto put a hand on his heart to know that he was feeling it. All of a sudden he drew back with a sad expression on his face. "I'm not dominant with you because I'm afraid that might remind you of Ares. And I don't want to hurt you or make you scared of me." He reached for my face and I jerked away involuntarily. "And you still flinch at my touch." Sighing, he put his hands on the piano, playing a short piece, probably belonging to Beethoven. "The day will come when you don't flinch at the slightest movement. And that will be the day I will be whatever you want me to be. But for now, I try to keep you from breaking, my fragile, beautiful, breakable, glass…" he trailed off, still playing the piano, still looking at the keys.

And once again, I was crying, my tears hitting the piano keys. Seto didn't say anything this time. He let me cry for awhile, picking out a few notes here and there. Then, he stood up suddenly and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, Yani. Let's ditch school." I almost gasped in surprise at what he said. This was coming from the straight-A student who was the most likely to be valedictorian of the school.

"Seto, are you okay?" He pulled me out of the piano bench and towards the door.

"Honestly, no. I feel… restless. I really want to punch something. Is this how you feel when it's rainy?"

"Yes. Clouds suck," I mumbled and promptly yelped with Seto nipped my nose with his teeth.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's go home and sleep." With that, Seto pulled me outside. Luckily, it was the middle of the period so not many students were out. We made our way to the office so that Seto could sign both of us out.

"We're sick," Seto said, glaring at the principal. He gulped.

"W-well… you guys can g-go home…" the nervous man stammered. Just then two girls entered the office with a pass. When they saw Seto and me, their eyes widened.

"Hey!" one of them said angrily. "You're the one that made my Seto-kun blind!" All of a sudden, the anguish of his blindness returned and slammed into my chest, making me lose my breath in pain. The other girl nodded roughly and was about the slap me across the face when Seto grabbed her wrist and slammed her into a wall. But by then, I was gone.

Without even thinking, I had bolted out of the office and out of the building, tumbling onto the sidewalk. There, I felt the urge to run away as fast as I could until my atoms scattered and the pain in my chest dissipated.

"Yani! Don't go! Please don't leave me!" But when I felt Seto stumbling and calling my name in the building, I knew I had to stop running from things. I had to stop running away from him. So I waited until he came outside, his sigh of relief audible when he found me there. He reached to me, twining his hands into my hair.

"I didn't run this time," I whispered into his neck, tip toeing to reach it when he held me against his warm body.

He understood.

When we walked into the house, he kicked off his shoes and barked to his maids to keep out of his bedroom. Then, with me following, he dragged himself up the stairs and collapsed on the bed, flinging an arm over his eyes. I sat down next to him, laughing softly. His soft hair flowed through my fingers when I touched his head. He peeked out from under his arm, a light smile dusting his lips.

Hesitantly, I lowered my head to his cheek, but stopped half way. Reminding myself that he wasn't going to hurt me, I gathered my courage and pressed my mouth to his cheek. Quickly pulling back, I buried my face in his chest, hoping he wouldn't say anything about my first willing kiss. Instead, he ran a hand down my spine, my flesh tingling where his fingers had touched me. I relaxed, my limbs melting into his.

Then, Seto and I gasped at the same time.

"Did I…?"

"Did you…?" He reached out his hand again and I bit back a gasp.

He had… touched… my wing.

I was paralyzed. Never had I felt the hands of someone other than a child touch my wings. It was by an ancient unwritten law that only children were allowed to touch the wings of an angel.

With the sound of shattering glass, the spell broke. Seto's hand fell on my back and I couldn't feel his hands on my wings anymore. I looked up at him to see the equal amazement in my eyes mirrored in his.


	30. Getting Through

Seto's POV

As I slowly woke up from my exhausted sleep, I felt Yani straddled on my stomach, gently touching my face. Her fluttering fingers felt nice against my flushed skin. But, I think she felt when I woke up because she stiffened and slid off me. I smiled and stretched, feeling her watching me. Folding my arms beneath my head, I turned to her, still smiling.

"Well?" I asked, making her blush.

"Nothing," she blurted quickly, looking the other way.

"You're not getting away so easily this time. It's Saturday and I have all the time in the world. Mokuba already left for Aya's house. If you want to do something today, you better tell me." I smirked at her fidgeting. She stuck out her tongue and started to move off the bed. I swiftly wound an arm around her waist, making her yelp, and pulled her back. "Come on, Yani. I promise I won't laugh," I murmured, smiling against her cheek.

"You're… r-really cute," she mumbled, scowling.

I was surprised. That definitely had not been what I was expecting. When she saw the expression on my face, her scowl deepened.

"I told you. Now can we go wherever I want to go today?" I kept silent for a while longer, still thinking about what she had said. When the silence grew almost unbearable, she tugged a part of my bangs and glared.

"Sure," I managed to finally say, "Where do you want to go?"

"The mall."

I ceased to speak again, only stare at her with wide-open eyes.

"WHAT?"

"Please?" she begged, "Before you refuse, I have reasons!" Before I could refuse to hear her reasons, too, she launched into her explanation.

"No matter how mature you are, you're still young. You have to do what other kids do at least once in a while! Number two; you have the exact same outfit everyday! Can you please dress up differently?"

"I'm not going to the mall. I like my clothes. I don't have time to go to the mall when I run a billion dollar company," I retorted and covered my head with a pillow. I felt her small hands on my side, trying to tickle me.

"I'm not ticklish, so don't even try." I felt her glower at the back of my head. Then she sighed.

"I didn't want to use this, but Joey said I could pull it off really well." Looking around to see what she was talking about, I was trapped in her gaze. She had her lips slightly pulled down in a pout and a heartbroken look on her face. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears and soon used the heel of her hand to wipe away the moisture.

"Please? Can we please go to the mall? It'll make me so happy…" She looked up at me and then looked down, as if too ashamed of her request. As if my body could not bear the thought of her sadness, I nodded yes of its own accord. Her face immediately dissolved into a beautiful smile.

"Thank you, thank you, Seto!"

"Who taught you how to do that?" I asked, frowning.

"Joey," she answered, her eyes slits of mischievous glee.

"Come back in one hour," I curtly said to my driver.

"Make it three," Yani called back and pulled me out of the car.

"Okay, Yani," I grumbled after we had entered the busy mall. By this time, I could see the auroras of every living thing in different colors. And by reading their movements, I could roughly guess where structures were. Good thing I was a genius.

"Hi! Welcome to JC Penny! Is there any way I can help you?" I turned to see an over-enthusiastic sales helper. "Oh! Are you Mr. Kaiba from Kaiba Corp.?"

"Yes. We need help getting casual clothes. Pick out something for us."

"R-right away sir!" The sales agent said, scared by my tone. After about ten minutes, she came back.

"We've started a wardrobe for you two. Would you like separate dressing rooms?"

"That won't be necessary," I responded curtly, pulling Yani to the dressing room section. I collapsed into a seat and sighed. Looking up, I noticed that the sales representative had organized the clothes so that she made many individual outfits, probably matching in style and color. Yani was eagerly feeling the clothes with her hands, looking so pleased that I had to smile. She turned to me.

"You go first, because your clothes suck." I scowled at her. I took off my silver jacket and hung it on a hook. Taking off my shirt, I hung it on the same hook. When I was about to reach for an outfit, I felt a curious hand on my stomach. Stifling back a gasp, I looked down to see Yani curiously touching my abs with her cold fingers.

"Like what you see?" I said automatically, just saying what I had said to countless of girls before Yani. But as soon as I said it, she paled and as if by reflex, slammed her back to a wall and covered her face with her hands.

"Δεν ήμουν ψάχνουν, δεν ήμουν ψάχνουν, δεν ήμουν ψάχνουν," she screamed in a whisper.

I wasn't looking, I wasn't looking, I wasn't looking.

Sick to my stomach, I gently tried to pry her hands off her face. But then, when she whimpered, I realized I was making the situation worse.

"Yani? I'm so sorry." She didn't respond, only stood as still as stone, hardly daring to breathe. I sat down on the bench.

Why was it that every single time I felt that Yani was unfolding herself, I did something that messed up the progress? Why was it that Yani had never said something that made me cry in fear? As I watched her, I felt the now-familiar wetness welling up in my eyes, never blurring the gold image of the girl I loved I saw in my head. Looking down, I just let them fall, knowing no one could see me in the changing room.

In a few minutes, she reached across the small space and touched my face.

"You… shouldn't care for me this much…" she whispered, grazing her fingers across my lips. I couldn't respond and continued to look to the floor. Somehow, she managed to wedge her way onto my lap and wind my arms around her waist.

"Maybe, we should break up," I heard myself say, even though my mind was screaming at me, "Every thing I do always ruins our relationship and… maybe you'd be better off with Joey." She twisted her body so that I was cradling her in my arms, her head nestled in my shoulder.

"Maybe," she said and I could feel my heart drop at such an easy consent. Then, she smacked me over the head with her hand and scowled.

"You're stupid, you know that?" she growled and then tangled her hands into my hair. Biting her lip, she struggled to say something to me, indecision showing in her orange eyes. Suddenly, she buried her face into my neck so that her next words were muffled.

"I… like you…" she stammered into my neck. And just then, I knew that no matter how many mistakes I had made or would make, I had gotten through to her. Immediately, both our hearts sped up, beating in synchronization. But then, she pulled back, scowled, and hit my chest with her hand, my bare skin stinging as soon as she came in contact with it. I winced.

"But don't tell anyone I said that!" she growled, "And don't ever say that again!"

"I won't," I responded and hugged her.

"Yo! Rich boy!" I scowled at the mutt who was coming my way, along with his group of friends. He and his friends stopped dead in his tracks when they fully saw me, making me scowl even more vehemently.

Yani had made me wear one of the outfits that we had bought, stripping me of my usual clothes. So currently, I was wearing black skinny jeans, a black, short-sleeved shirt, a gray scarf and a gray hat. And I was wearing… ugh… Converse. In other words, I looked like a freaking commoner. Not to mention Yani had disappeared somewhere and I was starting to get worried.

"Leave!" I snarled, looking around from my seat for Yani, tapping my foot in anxiety.

"Nah," Joey drawled, sitting in a chair and hooking one of his legs over the arm of the chair. "We're waiting for Yami anyway."

"He disappeared a while ago. And I'm not sure where he went." Yugi said quietly, clearly concerned at Yami's whereabouts. Honestly, I could have cared less. I saw Tea looking at me with shock in her eyes.

"You can stop drooling now," I snapped at Tea, not caring if I was rude or not. She started and closed her mouth with a click, blushing heavily.

"Oh, come on, Kaiba," Duke said seductively, "Relax. And just saying, you look absolutely gorgeous in that outfit." I narrowed my eyes in anger and looked vaguely to the right, trying to see if Yani was anywhere there.

"Hey, stop starin' at my sis'!" Joey complained, sitting upright. Right then, I noticed that Serenity, his sister, was sitting right in my line of sight. I barked a laugh.

"I wouldn't stare at your sister if she was the last person on Earth!" I jeered. Joey bolted out of his seat and towered in front of me.

"Take that back you son of a bitch!" he shouted. I couldn't take this anymore.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" I hissed back at him, losing my temper, "I CAN'T FIND YANI AND I'M FRANTIC RIGHT NOW!" Just then, I saw Yani's golden figure slip into my vision.

In two seconds, I was wrapping my arms around her waist, pressing her lips against mine. As soon as I tasted those strawberry-dipped-in-chocolate lips, all the worry and fear in my heart melted. When we broke the kiss, I hugged her close to me, my face buried in her hair.

"Where did you go?" I murmured, stroking her cheek with one hand. She looked back and motioned to someone. Yami walked forward, carrying a bag.

"We met each other and—" he was interrupted by a missile in the shape of Yugi tackling his abdomen. Yani turned back to me, smiling half-heartedly. When I looked at her carefully, I noticed that her eyes were a deep, lightless black, with streaks of orange.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, glancing back at Yami, "Did he do something to you?"

"Yami would never do anything to me," she stated stubbornly pushed me away. Turning to Yami, she kissed him on the cheek and whispered something to him. He nodded and patted her cheek with his hand. By this time, I noticed Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Duke watching me with open mouths.

"What," I growled, irritated. Tea broke into a huge smile and squealed.

"You guys look SO cute together!" she screamed, hugging Joey, who was still shocked.

"Kaiba… showed… affection?" Duke looked like he was about to collapse. Before I could maim them bodily, I felt Yani's hand quietly slide into my own.

"Can we go home?" she asked, her eyes more dull black than orange now. I took one look at those haunted eyes and tucked her to my side.

"Yeah," I said, turning around, "let's go home."

"You guys even SLEEP together?" Joey shouted when we were halfway to the exit. I heard a thump as Tristan collapsed on the ground in a dead faint.


	31. Secret Untold

Yani's POV

"Kaiba?"

"Seto," he corrected absent-mindedly, one arm around my waist and one arm signaling to the limo driver. The chauffer parked the car on the warm asphalt and exited the car to help. Seto unwound his arm to take my bags from me and pick up the bags on the floor. Briskly stepping off the curb, he handed the bags to the chauffer.

"I like you," I murmured quietly, also stepping of the curb, half expecting him not to hear. However, he turned around with a surprised look that automatically broke into a smile.

"I like you, too," he replied, running his hand through my hair. I think, just then, I realized how much taller Seto was. He stepped closer to me and pulled me against his body, making me feel sleepy. Loved. Safe. I settled in his arms, trying to memorize his captivating scent of burning cinnamon and the wind whistling over sand dunes before I had to leave. But for the first time, he broke the hug first.

"Look at me," he stated firmly. I raised my head and our eyes locked. He hesitated for a minute before speaking. "Is something wrong?"

I wanted to tell him. But beyond wanting to tell him, I wanted him to be happy, so I shook my head. Before he could speak, the chauffer honked lightly to let us know there were cars behind him. Seto scowled in the limo's direction and sighed when the driver bowed apologetically.

"Come on," he said, taking my hand. I held it tightly, not knowing if it would be the last time I would hold it.

When the limo had entered the stream of traffic, Seto raised the screen, separating us from the driver. Afterwards, he faced me. I had to look away. No one could last under his intense gaze.

"You know, your eyes change color according to your emotions."

"I know," was my quiet response.

"Then I don't know why you bother to lie to me." I didn't answer. Suddenly, he scooped me up and cradled me in his arms, nestling my body down on his lap.

"Seto! What…" My head was throbbing and it wasn't even cloudy today. "Let me down," I said, weakly.

"Not until you tell me what makes your eyes so utterly pitch black today."

"Isn't it enough that I said I liked you?" Seto narrowed his eyes and pressed his cheek to my forehead.

"Yani! You're burning!" My vision was starting to black out.

"It's… because I don't… need… this body… for much… longer," I managed to say. It was true. My soul was slowly burning away this body now that the time was approaching.

"You're delirious again, aren't you?" I felt his cool cheek press against my forehead again as he took out his phone and began to dial the doctor. When I knocked the phone out of his hand, he growled. "I hate it when you do this. Why won't you let me help you?"

"If you want to help me, you'll let go of me right now," I snapped, some of my strength regaining with my anger. He became very still and then abruptly set me down on the seat.

"Okay. If that'll make you feel better." The silence seemed to fill the limo.

I didn't know what to say. There was a feeling trying to burst out of my chest, hidden beneath years and years of mistrust. I didn't know how to express it. "I like you" didn't seem right. If I were to have told the truth to myself, I would have admitted what this feeling was. But right then, I had a fever and was watching Seto, who was looking out through the window.

As soon as we got home, Seto went up to the rooftop with his laptop.

"Did you guys have a fight?" Mokuba asked, eyes wide, his hands snatching a cookie from the pan I was holding. I sighed and started to slide the cookies I had baked off the pan and onto a plate.

"I'm not sure," I answered, holding my head. My fever was worse but the weakness that had originally accompanied it was gone. "Hey Mokuba, Yami wanted me to tell you something."

"I know. Tomorrow is Yugi and Yami's final duel right?"

"Yes, if Yugi wins the duel, Yami can know his real name and go home to the past as a pharaoh. Where he belongs."

"Yugi explained to me. But he's coming back right after, right? Because all he had to do is settle some accounts, right?" I froze.

"Is… that… what Yugi told you?" Mokuba frowned.

"Well… yeah," he said, "isn't that what's happening?" My stomach clenched but I smiled anyway.

"Yup! Just testing you." His face visibly relaxed.

"Well, you're going to need the plane then, right?"

"That would be useful. Egypt is a long way off."

"Okay, I'll get the plane ready so we can have an overnight flight." Mokuba rushed off to ready the Kaiba Corp. jet. When I was sure he was gone, I took the landline and called Yami.

He picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Yami, it's Yani."

"Ah. I was—"

"Did you tell Yugi that you were coming back?" There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Yami! Answer me!"

"I did."

"Why did you lie to him?"

"I don't want to see him… upset."

"You don't think he's going to be upset when you never come back?"

"I'm not sure if I'm never coming back. You have to realize, Yani, I'm not sure what's going on at all. It's just strong feelings that are guiding me right now."

"Well, I know what's going on! And I know you're not ever coming back if you decide to go home and rediscover your past! Where you BELONG!"

His voice turned bitter.

"Oh, and I guess you had a pretty bye-bye session with Kaiba and he was perfectly fine that you're leaving, too, huh?"

"Shut up, Yami. This is different!"

"Oh yes, Yani. Please tell me in what FUCKING way this is different!"

I bit my lip before I continued.

"I… don't love Kaiba. But you love Yugi! And he loves you! Actually, I'm quite surprised that you didn't start going out yet."

"Kaiba's the one that fucking PROPOSED to you!"

"Silence!" Yami's voice died away for a moment before starting again.

"You always are scary when you're mad. I remember that." His voice lost the bitter edge. "Yani, you have to remember, I don't even know who you are. My heart is just telling me that you are a very important person in my life. Can't you just tell me what's going on?"

I ignored him.

"The limo is going to come pick you up at eight. Make sure everyone who's coming is at your house by then."

He exhaled heavily.

"…I don't think they need us that much, Yani."

"They probably don't." We were lying to ourselves.

"Well… see you later then, Yani."

"Okay." I hung up the phone and sighed, starting to make my way up to the roof. When I got there, I found Seto lying down, asleep, with his laptop open beside him. I closed his laptop and sat down next to him, just content to watch him for the time being.

"Hey, Seto?" He didn't wake up. "I just want to tell you how much I'm going to miss you when I'm gone." When he shifted slightly, I stopped talking but resumed when he was still. "I'm really sorry for everything I ever did to you. For yelling at you, for throwing temper tantrums, and for getting you mixed up in my family business. And even though you're eyesight is healing, I'm sorry I made you temporarily lose your vision."

At this point, I lowered myself besides him and settled against his side. "When I'm gone, you have to remember to take a break every so often or you're going to collapse. And you have to hire another cook so you'll get healthy meals." I felt him smile slightly and burrow his face into the top of my head although he was still asleep. "Seto… I just want to say I lo…" My voice died away and I cleared my throat. I tried again. "I just want to say that I…"

I couldn't say it.

I didn't notice I was crying until a warm hand brushed my face.

"Why are you crying, Yani?" Seto slid his arm under my head to protect it from the hard concrete and turned to face me.

"Ah, it's nothing." Hastily, I brushed away my tears and scolded myself for crying. "But tomorrow is Yugi and Yami's last duel."

"I heard." He continued to run his hands through my hair, occasionally gently touching my face.

"Mokuba had the jet prepared. We leave tonight at nine. I suppose you're coming?"

"Are you going?"

I had to choke down a fresh sob before I answered.

"Yeah. I'm going."

"Then I'll come, too." He checked his watch.

"Do you want to do something?"

"C-can we just… stay like this?" He studied my face critically but then smiled.

"Of course." And with the mildness I had been waiting for, he pulled my body flush to him as his arm circled around my waist loosely. Once again, I felt the scent of burning cinnamon and ocean winds wash over me, enclosing me in warmth. It felt like only a couple of minutes had passed instead of an hour when Mokuba popped his head through the roof's trapdoor and told us to come down.

Everybody's expression was excited when they boarded the jet, with the exception of Seto, Yami, and myself. Seto's expression was one of frustration, love and worry when he caught my eye, and annoyance when he looked at Yugi's friends. Yami just had a look of…distanced sadness in his eyes. I'm sure my face mirrored his expression exactly.

Soon after we took off, everybody was lulled to sleep by the steady hum of the plane. Even Mokuba, who had Seto's explicit and rare permission to stay up the entire night, had fallen asleep with his handheld game in his hands. Everybody except Seto and me, that is. The steady murmur of his voice as he read a document made me want to go to sleep, but fear that this was my last night with him kept me awake.

"Seto?" He immediately turned to face me.

"Yes?" Putting the document aside, he stretched and put and an arm around me when I leaned into him.

"Can you sing me to sleep?" When he didn't reply, I started to pull away.

"Y-you don't have to if you're too tired. I just—" Before I was fully out of his reach, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and tucked me back into his side. He started to sing.

"My head is stuck in the clouds  
She begs me to come down  
Says "Boy quit foolin' around"  
I told her "I love the view from up here  
Warm sun and wind in my ear  
We'll watch the world from above  
As it turns to the rhythm of love."

Listening to his voice sing it made the song better by hundred fold. Just for that moment, the heavy feeling in my heart lightened a little bit. Mokuba woke up, padded over to us, and, as big of a boy he was at the age of 12, jumped on Seto's lap. Seto never stopped singing but held his precious little brother to his chest and me to his side.

"My heart beats like a drum  
A guitar string to the strum  
A beautiful song to be sung  
She's got gold eyes like the sun on the sea  
That roll back when she's laughing at me…"

He had changed the words to correspond to my eye color. With that thought in my head and the breaths of two of the people I loved the most in the world, I fell asleep.


	32. Stay Here

Third POV

Yugi won the duel.

Everybody let out a breath as both Yugi and Yami collapsed to their knees, exhausted after dueling for hours. Yami looked up and smiled at Yugi.

"Yugi, I cannot thank you enough." As he rose to his feet, his form began to shimmer. Suddenly, there was a blinding light that surrounded him. When everyone could open their eyes, they saw him standing in a white tunic, his fair skin now darkly complexioned. Behind him, an ornately carved stone door with thousand of hieroglyphics appeared.

"Atem…" Yami murmured, "My name is Atem. I am the pharaoh of Egypt long gone. It is my duty to stop the destruction." His voice rose. "Open! Doors of the past! For your master, Pharaoh Atemu!" The stone doors burst open, revealing a vortex of color. "Goodbye, everyone, thank you for your help!"

"See you later Yami!" Yugi said, cheerful, "I suppose you'll be back by the week?"

"See ya later," Joey called, raising a hand. Duke, Tea, and Tristan joined in a chorus of 'goodbyes'. Yami smiled sadly and turned to go. But before he could step into the portal, Yugi called out.

"Wait, Yami! Or Atemu, I guess. When are you coming back?" Atem did not answer, but only turned to look at Yani.

"Are you coming?" The entire room pitched into absolute silence.

"Yeah," Yani answered, her eyes downcast. Suddenly, she fell forward and was caught by Kaiba. Out of her body stepped a shining figure.

It was unmistakably Yani. She was tanner and her clothes had changed into a white dress. However, that was her slim figure, her supple limbs, her tumbling black hair. Those, especially, were her eyes, pitch black as she stared back at Kaiba, who stared at Spirit Yani as he was cradling Yani's physical form.

"Yani?" Kaiba asked, his brow furrowing.

"You're going, too? How cool!" Yugi exclaimed. Then, he turned to Kaiba and continued in a soothing voice. "Don't worry Kaiba, she and Yami's coming back. They're just going to defeat the evil that's coming and then they'll come back."

"We're not coming back."

"Of course! Not immediately," Yugi said, briskly, "I know that."

"Little One," Yami said gently, "we are not returning. Ever. I just told you that before so that you wouldn't get upset. But we have to go back to where we belong." Yugi paled.

"WHAT? But! B-but you told me you'd come back if I won!"

"I lied."

"That's not even fair!" Tea interjected. "If we had known you were leaving us for good, we might have not made the same decision."

"Yea! And now we find out tha' you're takin' Yani, too?" Joey added. Duke and Tristan also voiced their complaints but to seemingly deaf ears.

"Kaiba! Are you going to let him take Yani like that?" Duke turned to Kaiba, as did everybody else. Everybody fell silent for the second time as they watched Kaiba and Spirit Yani. They were only staring at each other, oblivious to the world around them. Kaiba's pale face was bloodless, his eyes stretched impossibly wide. Yani's pitch black eyes seemed to darken the room, even as they watched her and Kaiba.

"Γιατί θα με αφήσει?" he choked out.

Why would you leave me?

At these words, tears spilled from Yani's dulled eyes and plinked on the floor as pure white pearls.

"Μήπως σ 'αγαπώ δεν είναι αρκετό?"

Did I not love you enough?

Her tears fell faster.

"Λυπάμαι, έκανα κάτι—"

"Σκάσε!" she hissed before he could ask her if he did anything wrong, "Shut up!" She wiped away her tears angrily. "Ποτέ δεν αγάπησα, εντάξει; Ήμουν απλά κάνει ό, τι έπρεπε να κάνω για να επιβιώσει!"

I never loved you, okay? I was just doing what I had to do to survive!

"Yani? Are you really leaving?" Mokuba asked, his boice trembling. She nodded curtly and turned her back on Kaiba.

"But who's going to snuggle with me? Who's going to bake me cookies and cook food for me? Who's going to play Monopoly with me and annoy Seto with me and buy ice cream for me and—"

"You shut up, too!" Mokuba shut his mouth with a frightened squeak. "I didn't want to go back to my parents so I decided I was nice to you, you guys would probably let me stay. I didn't actually like any of you."

"You're lying! You love us! I know you love us! You love every single person in this room!" Mokuba was bawling. "You say ever night when you go to sleep with me that you love me! Don't you DARE say you don't—"

"I have to go HOME!" Yani burst out, pearls continuing to clink on the floor. "I miss my Egyptian friends and my pets and my plants! I miss my adopted family! I—"

"This IS your home!" Mokuba was breathing hard. "These ARE your friends! This IS your family! And where the HELL did plants come from?"

"Mokuba. I'm. Going. Home."

"You don't need to go anywhere. You're already there."

Suddenly, with an ear-splitting grating sound, the open door behind them started to close. Atem leaped over and put a hand on the door.

"We have to go, Yani."

"Please don't go," Yugi begged, snapping out of his trance. "You can't leave us!"

"Come on, little sister." Spirit Yani turned and walked to the platform where Atem was waiting.

"I LOVE YOU!" Yugi shouted, his hands balling into fists. "I want to be with you forever." He rubbed eyes, wiping away his tears.

"I love you, too, Little One. But I can't be here. I admit, I lied about having to stop evil in the past, but I do want to go home."

"Like Mokuba said," Joey growled, "this IS your home."

With an earth-shaking rattle, the tomb started to collapse.  
"Guys, get out of here. The tomb is going to collapse."

"HOW CAN YOU JUST LEAVE US LIKE THIS? DO WE MEAN NOTHING TO YOU" Yugi yelled over the crash of falling stones.

So softly that nobody could hear it, Yani and Yugi whispered the same thing at the same time. "No, Yugi. You guys mean the world to me."

"YAMI! PLEASE DON'T GO! I NEED YOU!" The ceiling right in front of Atem and Yani collapsed, screening them from view.

"Come on, guys! Or someone's gonna get killed!" Tea interjected. "Kaiba, come on!"

"No," was the quiet response. Everybody stared at Kaiba again, in shock, except Yugi, who was crying too hard. He was staring at Yani's human body in his arms.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Duke said, frustrated. "Okay, your girlfriend left you. So what? That's nothing to die over!" Cracks ran up the walls of the tomb as Kaiba shook his head. Duke was about to shake some sense into the businessman he looked up to so much when Tristan put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dude, look at his eyes." Duke followed his friend's instruction and started in fright. Kaiba's eyes were no longer a burning cerulean color. Instead, they were gold. But not the golden sparks in Yani's eyes. If gold could rust, if gold could rot, if gold could decay, that gold would be the color if his leaden eyes.

"But what about Mokuba? Think about your brother!" Kaiba stirred and looked at Tea and then Mokuba, who was walking towards him.

"I won't go, even if you make me, Seto." His eyes were also vacant, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. "I guess this is what the great poets all speak about. Loving someone so much that when they leave, you want to leave with them." He plopped himself besides Seto and took the hand of Yani's body.

"Kaiba," Joey said, gentle for once, "if ya stay here, Yani's body is gonna get messed up. And your littl' bro is gonna die." At that, Kaiba finally stood up, picking up Yani with him. Mokuba tailed behind like a lost little ghost.

They exited the tomb just as it caved inward, clipping Kaiba on the shoulder. He didn't stumble, let alone cry out in pain. Instead, he placed Yani on the cool sand and kneeled next to her, feeling the golden rays of the sunset on his face but not truly comprehending it. Beside him, Mokuba fell on the ground next to Yani, curling next to her just as he had when a soul inhabited that body, and fell asleep.

"Hey, Yani?" His finger ran down the curve of her face, tracing the path it knew so well. "I'm sorry we weren't good enough for you. Maybe if we had done things differently, you would have stayed. Maybe, if I had showed more emotion in public, you would have realized that I love you. Maybe then, you would have stayed with us." He picked up her hand and kissed it, placing it on his face afterwards. It was still warm. "You're basically in a coma, aren't you? You have no mind, no soul. Then why do I feel like you can hear me?"

In front of him, Tea started to cry silently, her arm around Yugi, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Joey, Tristan, and Duke also looked as they might cry. There was something absolutely unsettling about a grown, outwardly cold man kneeling in front of a girl he loves.

"I'm sorry Yani. I'm sorry you couldn't love me. I'm so sorry you couldn't love me."

But suddenly, and shockingly, Kaiba started to cry in front of everybody. At first, it was only a couple of tears dripping onto Yani's clothes. Then, shuddering sobs seemed to rack through his entire body as he cried his heart out, cried the tears that he never cried in public in 19 years. Mokuba woke up with the sound of his brother crying, buried his head into Kaiba's chest, and also started to sob with him. The rest of the group was shocked into silence, even Yugi.

A slender hand caressed Kaiba's brown hair at the same time an arm wound itself around Yugi's waist. Yugi's shriek of joy was muffled by Atem's lips on his.

"Watch, Little One," Atem whispered, smiling, his lips still hovering around Yugi's, "Watch Kaiba's reaction."

Kaiba continued crying, not caring about the person who was stroking his hair, although tiny part of his mind was enraged that someone would touch him so familiarly. But something about that hand seemed so comforting that gradually he stopped crying. Then, he noticed something else. Mokuba had stopped crying.

When he looked up, he saw the most beautiful, golden eyes staring back at him. And they weren't black and gold like they usually were, because Yani always carried some of the blackness of her experiences with her. They were absolutely, completely, utterly, pure gold.

"I'm glad that, for once, I could comfort you, instead of you comforting me." Mokuba made a happy sound has he nuzzled into her side. Kaiba, on the other hand, could only stare into those beautiful eyes.

"And Seto." The gorgeous voice said his name. "Who said I didn't love you?"

At that moment, Seto's eyes, which had been a dull, rusty, dead gold color, rapidly shifted into the striking, bright, stunning cerulean that Yani imagined she could almost see.

The kiss was inevitable. They were drawn to each other as wolves were drawn to the moon. The taste of strawberries dipped in chocolate and ice coffee with mint blended as their tongues danced together again and again.

And this time, Yani was completely ravaged by Kaiba. There was no choice of dominance at this moment. Kaiba took it and did what he did best, making girls unable to think because of the lips pressed against theirs and the tongue that mapped out their mouth. And she, like other girls, closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, just letting herself be kissed by Kaiba. But she, unlike other girls, felt his tears drip onto her eyelids, so that she was crying with him.

"Yani, I'll ask it again," Kaiba whispered against her lips when they finally broke apart. "Would you like to marry me? To be together until death do us part?"

"Yes, but not till death do us part, Seto," she said, kissing him again, and wiping away his tears. "They won't be able to separate our spirits for eternity."

(Authors Note: Oh my God guys, thank you for all the fannings and the story alertings and reviews and comments and everything! This story isn't over yet, though. I was thinking of writing up wedding day. I definitely have one more chapter in mind though [not the wedding chapter]. If enough people want a wedding chapter, I'll put up a wedding chapter. But besides that, I'll go straight to my last chapter, which I promise is cute. But other than that, I want to thank you guys for sticking with me until the [almost] end and encourage you to check out my other story, Both Sides [a Naruto fanfic], featuring, you guessed it, Yani! I'm also gonna have another story coming out with Yani in a Fruit Basket fanfic [which will be very different compared to this one]. So goodbye for now! And thank you so much! Seto, Yani, and Mokuba thank you too!)


	33. Teppei

Seto's POV

"I tried my best, Seto, but I think it might be for the better to give up on the idea." I could see Yani sitting outside through the window. Her legs swung in a rhythmic motion, sweeping the red swing in a pendulum-like path. Dr. Fuji took off his glasses, glancing up from the paperwork and lab data in his hands. "It would be different if her uterus wasn't strong enough, or if it were some other, less crucial problem. We could always get a surrogate mother. I'm sure fanatic fan girls from all over the world would be frothing at the mouth for a chance to carry Seto Kaiba's child. But it is what it is. Yani has no eggs. She cannot be a mother."

"I see." The desperation that had been creeping behind me for a couple of months finally settled into my bones. "That is... unfortunate." Pity glinted in the doctor's eyes.

"How do you think she'll take the news?"

"She knew," I answered, quiet. "I was the one that begged her to check, just to make sure. But she knew. She had a feeling." There was a faint buzzing in my ears and I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms. Wordlessly, Dr. Fuji grasped my shoulder, then walked out of the room, his echoing footsteps eventually ending at the door. I made my way to the window and opened it, the squeaks diverting Yani's attention to me. By the time I opened it all the way and leaned out, she was in front of me. "Hey," I said, softly, just touching her soft locks with a fingertip.

"Hey," she replied, smiling. Her golden eyes shone in the sunlight, two glittering coins against pitch-black hair. "I was right, right?" I took a deep breath and nodded, smiling back at her. But my throat was tight and I knew she could feel it when her smile disappeared. Her hair looped over my fingers. She looked off to the left, listening to a chattering field lark. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, Love." Her words slammed into my stomach and I pulled her to me, "It's not your fault. It's no one's fault." I brushed my lips against her neck, letting my forehead rest on her shoulder. A hesitant hand touched the back of my head and stroked my hair.

"Even if it's not my fault, I'm sorry."

"Please don't say that. You promised you wouldn't say sorry anymore at our wedding, remember?"

"It front of all those people." I could hear the scowl in her voice. "I know you said it was for business, but... a thousand? Most of them were just curious. They weren't really happy for us." The flashing cameras and constant calls for an interview had made her nervous, but everybody wanted to know who the stoic businessman had married.

"But I was happy for us." I looked up to her from her shoulder. "I was very, ridiculously happy, and when you walked down the aisle I almost regretted letting all those people come to the wedding. I was intensely jealous the expression on your face." She covered my mouth with her tiny hand, blushing.

"Okay, okay, I get it." After a minute, her hand was replaced by her mouth, and she nipped my bottom lip before she pulled away.

"More," I whispered and her lips touched lightly against mine. A smooth tongue dipped into my mouth momentarily. "We'll get through this," I said when she pulled away for the second time. I inhaled and exhaled, lowering my face into my arms. "We'll get through this," I repeated, more for my sake than hers.

"We can adopt." I looked up, surprised.

"Even though it wouldn't be your child?"

"It wouldn't biologically be mine, but it would still be my child." She leaned in until our noses were touching. "It would be our child. We'd raise him to be as brilliant as you. We'd both teach him to sing. And nobody would know any different." My eyes met with hers, as even as the sun, and I nodded.

"Okay. Plan B it is."

"Plan B?" she asked, as I pulled her in through the window. She was still unnaturally light.

"Yep. Plan B. I got in contact with a local adoption agency about a year ago as a back up plan."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When you said you felt like you couldn't... have children... I listened. You know yourself." I gave her the happiest smile I could. "For better or for worse, I trust you."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them I wanted a boy about four years old. After some more questions, they matched us up with a couple of children. We can go see them if you want."

"Today?"

"I have to go to the company now." Her face fell. "We can go tomorrow, and we'll have the whole day, okay?"

"Okay." I glanced at the clock.

"Don't wait up for me." She wrapped her arms around my waist tightly and I hugged her back, unwilling to break the moment.

*Lemons*, I thought, *ice-cream and pine*. I barked a laugh when she let go of me. *Of course. Always.*

On my way to KaibaCorp.'s annual board meeting, for the first time in my career, I couldn't seem to focus on what I would be presenting. Even at the prospect of unveiling exciting new ideas to the press, my thoughts continued to stray to Yani and our orphanage visit tomorrow.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir!" I started at the sudden intrusion into my thoughts.

Somehow, I had ended up in the meeting room and apparently, the meeting had started. In the front of the room, a very angry Mr. Meisuke stood, clenching the laser pointer in his hand until it creaked. "Mr. Kaiba, if my presence in this meeting is unnecessary to the point where anything and everything I say is ignored, by all means, please kick me out!" My anger flared and my eyes hardened. The board member flinched. But I bit back an icy response when I realized that I actually hadn't been paying attention to anything that had been said, another first.

"I apologize." I forced out. The entire room looked shocked. "My mind is on other things right now."

"Sir," Mr. Meisuke said, trying to see if his luck would hold, "you are brilliant. We respect you enormously. But we are your advisors for a reason. Age, experience. We have what you don't have, but rarely need. We are not trying to take your position. But my all means, please use us if you ever need us." I chuckled and the room burst into nervous glances.

"I'll keep that in mind Mr. Meisuke. But it's a personal issue with my wife. We're going to the adoption agency tomorrow, so I'm not exactly perfectly calm." I smiled involuntarily at the though of Yani's eager face. "Although... although I'm very inexperienced in being a husband, I love her very much and I would do anything to make her happy. Thank you for your concern, but right now, I ask if we can reschedule the meeting until next week. Mr. Meisuke, please drop of your abstract on my desk. I would like to review it for the meeting next week."

"Mr. Kaiba." He hesitated and the room started to buzz with the activity of leaving. "You have changed. For the better. I have never seen you his... cordial."

"It wasn't that difficult, Mr. Meisuke." I stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "And you're right. I have changed. Expect to see more of it."

The trapdoor to the roof complained when I opened it. Her voice floated into the sky, twining through the stars.

"I told you to go to sleep first." I said. She answered with a song.

"It's almost like the sun wouldn't set

But hovered on horizon instead

It's like a song I sang before

But now, no more

It faded from my head."

I took a moment to think of lyrics.

"It's almost like the sun wouldn't turn

And the earth decided to burn

It's like a song I heard before

But now, no more

I decided not to learn."

"It's almost like I found

Truth on first endeavor"

"Although when it was crowned

I thought it'd last forever."

"And through the hills and city stills."

"I've found it's now or never."

Yani curled up to me when I sat down.

"That's a sad song." I commented.

"It was half yours."

"Hn." I hummed a melody of another song

"Do you think we'll be good parents?"

"Hm..." I leaned back and pulled her on top of me. "Why do you ask?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Are you scared?"

"A little bit."

"I'm scared, too."

"Yeah?"

"A little bit. But I think," I said, speaking into her hair, "that we will be good parents. I know neither one of us had good parents, but... we'll be good. We'll hug him if he's feeling sad and we'll try to understand him. We'll love him. I promise."

"Mr. Kaiba! Please come right in!" The woman's eyes darted as she smiled nervously, dabbing at her brow with a perfectly crisp handkerchief. "I'm the Chairwoman of this fine establishment. Please make yourself at home. Would you like any coffee? Any tea?" Yani squeezed my hand, affected by the enthusiastic, yet anxious attitude of the Chairwoman. I gently squeezed back.

"No thank you, Chairwoman." I turned to Yani, "Why don't you go ahead? I'll fill out the paperwork." The corners of her mouth turned down. "Shhh... Don't worry." I placed her hand on my chest. "I'll be right here, okay?" At this, she visibly relaxed and nodded.

"It's down this hallway. First door to the right!" The Chairwoman shrilled. "You have a lovely wife," she said when Yani had trailed around the corner.

"I know," I responded, taking a cursory glance at the paperwork. A tall clock to my left ticked out the minutes while I filled out the blanks. In front of me, the Chairwoman couldn't seem to sit still. Every time I would quietly look up, she would be staring into the hallway with a twitchy expression on her face, chewing her lip. "How does it feel like to run a small orphanage? It must be hard to manage without funds."

"Oh, it's quite difficult. The kids misbehave so much sometimes, but!" she added when I looked up sharply, "I love them so it helps me power through. Of course, generous donations help..." she let her words hang and I stayed silent.

An alien sense of foreboding bloomed in my chest and I quickly looked at the hallway again. Foreboding turned into panic, speeding my heart up, and I rocketed to my feet at the same time a lone scream erupted in the hallway. It wasn't Yani's, but I did hear Yani's quiet voice.

"S-seto..." I bolted around the corner and ran down the gloomy hallway.

"Mr. Kaiba!" the Chairwoman shrieked behind me.

"Yani, where are you?" I murmured. I knew she would hear me.

"Turn left." I did and ran down another long corridor, to a section where one of the staff members had pressed herself to the wall in shock. To my right was a gap in the wall, but there wasn't any door. At the top, I could see a scroll of wood, the exact same pattern and color of the sickly green wallpaper.

"Yani? Are you..." The room was bare, except a blanket on the floor and a wooden crate. A tiny bathroom was tucked into the corner. But my attention was fixed on my wife, who was on her knees in front of a small child. The boy, at least, I think it was a boy, had a pale face with soft, feminine features. There were dark circles under his eyes and his frail arms were behind his back.

Blue. He looked at me and I saw cerulean framed by long, innocent lashes. Then, I noticed blue elsewhere. Blue on his throat in dark, finger-like patterns. Blue etched into rod-like marks on the back of his skinny calves. If I looked, I knew I would find blue colored onto his back.

"Seto," Yani murmured, not taking her eyes off the boy. I didn't either. "Seto, this is Teppei. He's four years old." He did an uncertain wave in my direction and looked back at Yani.

"Why are you here? Chairwoman said I can't have vis'tors." His voice was soft and melodic.

"Why aren't you?"

"Because Chairwoman says I cry too much and crying is for stupid babies."

"It's a lie!" I didn't bother to look at the screaming woman behind me. "Teppei! Stop lying! You know you stay in here because you misbehave!" His lip trembled and his eyes caught a shiny glaze of tears.

"I'm sorry. I-I'm a bad boy who misb'aves," he whispered almost inaudibly.

"There!" the Chairwoman said triumphantly, "From his own mouth!"

"Teppei," I approached him slowly and crouched, "why do you cry so much?" Sea foam eyes looked down at his feet.

"I'm hungry lots. Mama and Papa used to say you need to eat lots to grow but..." he burst into tears, "I'm never going to grow, am I?"

"Where's your Mama and Papa, Teppei?"

"They're-re gon-ne," Teppei sobbed. "A p-pretty woman-n-n with... long brown h-hair with-th red killed them!"

"Aphrodite, that fucking bitch." I was startled to here the profanity pour out of Yani's mouth. But when I saw that her face was pale and that she was shaking, I thought it was a good idea to get out.

"Teppei, would you... maybe... do you think we can be your new Mama and Papa? I know your biological Mama and Papa isn't here anymore, and we're not trying to make you forget them but..." I briefly looked at Yani, "I think... no, I know that we love you very much and we would like to take you home with us."

"B-but," he hiccuped, "I cry-y too much and the shadows-s follow me!" I was confused by his "shadow" statement, but I didn't let it show on my face.

"It doesn't matter to us." I stood up quickly and turned to the Chairwoman.

"We will be taking Teppei with us today." I advanced upon her slowly and she retreated. "You will receive a call from my lawyer concerning child abuse, malnutrition, among other things. Actually," I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

"Mr. Kaiba?"

"Mr. Meisuke. Please contact my lawyer. There is a child abuse case at the orphanage I was talking about this morning. I want it erased from the map. I want the remaining orphans placed in well established orphanages. When do you think you can get this done by?"

"I'm in the office, sir. Three minutes." There was a pause. "Thank you for relying on me, sir." I hung up the phone and turned to the Chairwoman. "Enjoy your last three minutes as Chairwoman. Then, you can enjoy your next thirty years in jail."

In her shocked silence, I held out my arms to Teppei. He put a cautious hand on my forearm and slowly moved to lock his arms around my neck. Picking him up and gesturing to Yani to follow, I strode down the dark corridor and in a couple minutes, we were outside, the screams of the panicking Chairwoman resounding faintly behind us.

"Seto." I turned around and felt soft lips that lingered on the corner of my mouth. When she pulled away, her eyes were shining. "That was so cool." A flush crept into my cheeks. "Seto, are you blushing?"

"N-no." I stuttered and turned away. Teppei was smiling hesitantly and I gently put him on the ground. "Teppei, umm..." I didn't know what to say and I shook out my hair. "My name is Seto Kaiba. I own-"

"Kaiba Corporations," he interrupted, his eyes wide. "Cool." My flush spread to my ears. "You can call me whatever you want."

"And my name is Yani." I had never seen her eyes so brilliant before. "Do you miss your Mama and Papa?"

"Don't 'member them," he said, fidgeting. "I 'member the woman who killed them, though. And blood. Lots of blood."

"Teppei, what did you mean when the shadows followed you?" He rubbed his arms, as if suddenly cold, and turned around, letting the sun hit his back. His shadow was on the asphalt. Suddenly, the shadow punched my shadow's arm, and I recoiled with the pain.

"Ouch!" Teppei's shadow laughed silently, but when he turned to face Yani's shadow, he stopped.

"Tst!" Yani hissed between her teeth, a dusky purple mixing with the gold in her eyes. Her face was imperial, and she looked down to the shade. She snapped her fingers and the shadow seemed to bow apologetically. Whispering sounded from it's mouth. "I don't care if you were playing around," Yani said, a touch of coolness in her voice. "Serve." The shadow bowed again and matched Teppei's stance. "Is this the shadow, Teppei?" He nodded and the shadow nodded with him. "He'll protect you now. He didn't know what to do since he didn't have any guidance. He didn't mean to scare you." She stared a little longer at the subservient blackness on the ground, but yelped when I nipped her ear.

"Yani, that was so cool." Her blush was much more apparent than mine, staining her cheeks crimson. Teppei giggled and patted her hips, stretching up his arms in a "pick-me-up" gesture. She reached down and picked him up, nuzzling their noses together.

"Hey, me too," I complained, my face burning from the childish comment. Yani looked up, surprised, but Teppei reached out for me and kissed me solidly on the mouth.

"You, too," he smiled locking his arms around my neck and wincing when he realized it hurt. I held him and tried to support most of his weight.

"How about lunch?" I asked. Teppei stared at me blankly.

"Lunch? What's that?" Yani and I exchanged looks.

"The meal in the middle of the day. When do you eat?"

"Morning. Breakfast!" Teppei chortled like the word ticked his mouth.

"What about dinner?" I was given the same blank look. Next to me, Yani had a painful look on her face, remembering what it was like in her parents home. As for me, my father had hit me, but he had never starved me. And I had been almost twelve when I had been adopted, plenty of time to grow accustomed to pain in the orphanage. Teppei, on the other hand, was still innocent. Still unable to hide his feelings. Still scared. "How long were you in the orphanage?" I asked gently.

"Since two," Teppei responded, holding up a peace sign with his fingers. "And I'm 'most five now!"

"I know! You're so big! Yani?" she looked unsure of what to do now. Technically, I had more experience than her in child-rearing. I had taken care of Mokuba at the orphanage. "What do you want for lunch?"

"He's so... small." Darkness curled in the room like a sleepy cat. Yani was lying next to Teppei in our room, stroking his soft hair. "I... I don't know what to do most of the time. Sorry." I chuckled from my desk and stood up from my computer, getting on the bed next to her. I held her body to mine and skimmed my mouth over her neck.

"We're both learning. It'll be fine. We'll be fine. Mokuba already likes him." His now-college-student brother had played with Teppei for three hours straight, ignoring the assignments he had due. Already, Teppei had developed a strong love for video games and duel monsters. He was still four, but still... "He's smart. He picks things up fast."

"He's an apology." Her voice turned bitter. I closed my eyes and wrapped an arm around her stomach. "He's Aphrodite's form of an apology, for the pain she caused all of my past lives. She thinks it won't be interesting unless it's tragic." Her heart sped up, then quieted.

"Do you remember them? Your past lives, I mean."

"Of course," she answered, closing her eyes.

"Did you... did you ever fall in love?"

"Once," she responded, and smirked at my growl. But her face smoothed into a content expression. "Once, a very long time ago, when most of the woods were intact and when ninjas still existed. When Hades still chose sons. A very long time ago. Before Aphrodite's curse."

"With whom?" She tossed her head, almost sassily.

"You wouldn't remember, would you?" She started laughing quietly when my mouth dropped open. "Yes. It was a long time ago. You promised we would meet each other." She settled next to Teppei, stretched like a cat. I could feel the calmness radiate out of her. "You told me to stay there and wait for you. And that next time, we would be happy."


End file.
